The Heartbreaking Silence of Forever
by ZiggyGurl
Summary: Aubrey Holloway finds herself back in Oklahoma, and she couldn't be any more upset about it. Her life is changed for the worse as she experiments with heavy drinking and drugs, but she can't seem to get away from pain. Rated for language, drug use.
1. The Beginning of Forever

**Author's Notes- **Ok kiddos, well not kiddos but I call everyone kiddos so whatever. This is the sequel to Battle Scars! I know, it's up pretty quickly and I don't really know what's up with it yet. I know what will happen at the very end, and I have pretty much the whole beginning planned out and one scene in the middle of it but what happens around that is all up to my imagination for the next few weeks. I've babbled long enough so I'll go ahead and answer some questions that the last story left.

**x fever x- **Well here goes the sequel, I hope you enjoy it. Also, the Green Day concert I was going to go see was on TV, but I WISH it was a live show. I would've fainted and died if it had been a live concert. I'm in love with Green Day but I'm in love with far too many bands and books. Thank you very much, I made you cry? Wow, the only time I've ever done that was in my story on Fictionpress Indifferent. I think it's because I truly do have a heart of a stone, I've never cried at a book or movie except the book Harry Potter the Order of the Phoenix, and I admit I was close to tears when I watched and read S.E. Hinton's "That Was Then...This Is Now" Such a good book/movie.

**Mrs. Benji Madden- **"On My Own" As in The Used? If so I love that song...actually I was listening to it when I wrote the chapter. My, how strange. Songs really throw the story around a lot, because I always listen to music while I write chapters and depending on the mood of the song I'm listening to the chapter can end up being super depressing, or happy and fun. Anyway, Aubrey didn't die. I meant to write 'It WASN'T the last they saw of Aubrey Holloway' but I may have screwed it up, if so I'm sorry. But yeah, here we go.

**Dedication- **Well, I'll dedicate it to the song "Friends O' Mine" by Bowling For Soup since it just came on and it's a really pretty song, you should read the lyrics if you get the chance or download it or something and "Traveling Soldier" which actually, now that I think of it is a song that...well.

**Disclaimer- **I don't own the Outsiders but Aubrey is a figment of my imagination, she's the protoganist and I suggest that if you're reading this you read "Battle Scars", I almost wrote "Bloody Tears And Heartbreak" but that's a completely different story, that's also a sequel though so...Ok I'm babbling.

**Contact Info- **In the profile, but you can just e-mail me or review. It doesn't really matter that much.

**Story- **

**Aubrey's POV**

I sat on the bed, cross legged and stared out of the window dreamily. For some reason I couldn't manage to keep my mind on track that day. It was the beginning of a new semester of school for me, early September and I was actually looking foreward to have something to take my mind off of...everything. On the other hand it was really going to put a damper on my partying life, but that was actually a good thing, that's what I wanted my mind off of.

My mind kept drifting off to all of the things that had happened to me in the past couple of years, being here in this college was the least stressful place I'd been in a long long while, in my whole life probably and that wasn't much to say because I was stressed to death enough as it is.

Just as I was about to travel outside and get some sunshine for the first time in days the phone began to ring, jumping me about 3 feet off of the bed. My room mate Charlotte who was the true definition of a hippie with her blonde scraggly hair and her peace beads laughed gently, she had a weird laugh. Charlotte was one of those people who was so into the hippie movement that she insisted on everyone calling her Daisy. I don't know why, she just insisted, and I didn't do it. I got a kick out of calling her Charlotte and seeing her get close to angry, because truly being a hippie she never really got angry. Anyway, back to the phone. I moved to answer it and picked it up quickly out of the cradle. "Hello?" I asked into the receiver with a slight sigh in my voice, I could use a cigarette at the moment and this phone call was holding me up.

"Aubrey?" the voice on the other end asked me desperate sounding. I remembered another day that I'd gotten a phone call like that, the day my parents died in a car accident.

"Yeah" I said, unable to keep the quavering out of my voice.

"Hey Aubbs, this is Sodapop" my cousin informed me, his voice smoothing out a little.

"Hi Soda, you sound really grown up over the phone" I said with a slight smile into the receiver, it had been a while since I'd talked to him, it costed a lot to call long distance.

"I needed to talk to you about something Aubrey" he said me, his voice losing his smootheness completely.

"Sure" I whispered a bit raggedly.

"I'm gonna go ahead and tell you alright? I got drafted, I'm going for training in 2 weeks, then straight on to Vietnam" he told me, in a rushed voice. I thought he was going to burst out crying, hell I thought I was going to burst out crying.

"What? You can't go you're only 18 and a half years old, they can't do this" I was almost completely frantic.

"It's old enough to get drafted, Darry's real upset, and so is Ponyboy. I don't know, I gotta go Aubrey. Don't fall to pieces on me. I just wanted to call and let you know OK?" he said, his voice sober, and it cut into my heart like a rusty blade.

"No! People die there, a lot of American boys are dying over there Sodapop, lord and you can't kill anyone" I was rambling. "I'm coming home!" I shouted finally.

"No you aren't Aubrey, you're staying in school. If you can graduate and get a job you can take care of yourself. You won't need some guy to take care of you" he told me, he was so serious it scared me, his voice was enough to almost bring me to tears.

"I don't care what you say Sodapop Patrick Curtis, I'm coming home." I yelled hysterically throwing the phone into the cradle, not even saying goodbye to him. I turned around and almost started to cry before I realized that Charlotte was still in the room, she was staring at me, confusion in her eyes a little.

"Your cousin got drafted?" She asked, her voice spookily calm.

"Yeah" I answered her, unable to keep the croaking out of my voice.

"I'm so sorry Aubrey. You want me to help you pack your bags?" she offered. I was so hurt by Soda's news that I just nodded feebly and went to the closet to take out my suitcases. I couldn't believe that my cousin, my cousin who was as close to a brother than I ever had was going off to fight in a War, a war that had nothing to do with the Americans. I was starting to see where those damn hippies were coming from. Just as I was finishing my packing the phone rang again, this time Charlotte answered it. "Hello?" she called quietly, and gently intot he receiver. "Hold on a moment" she said after a short pause and she held it out to me.

"Hello" I questioned, a little too harshly.

"Hi Aubrey, this is Darry" The voice on the other end informed me.

"Hey Darry, I'm coming home on the next train out" I told him harshly. He gave a long sigh but didn't anwer me right away.

"I'll come to pick you up then if you've made up your mind. But how are you going to get finished with school?" He questioned me. This was so unlike the harsh Darry I knew that I almost fell over in surprise.

"I'm not. I don't care about school anyway Darry. I just care about you guys." I told him softly.

"Steve is going too. He got his letter a week ago, but we never got around to telling you." he told me, his voice was beginning to grow emotional thinking about his brother and friend going off to war. I didn't answer him though, I couldn't speak. I couldn't lose them? Shut up! I told myself, it's not like they're sure to die, they could come home unscathed. I scolded myself, don't get your hopes up.

"I'll be home by tomorrow. Come to the train station and pick me up." I said, and put the phone back down. I grabbed my bags and Charlotte stopped me just as I was going out of the door, she put some money in my hands.

"Here take this, you'll need it" she told me, and she almost pushed me out of the room.

**Darry's POV**

When she stepped off of the train it reminded me so much of when I'd picked her up after her parents died that I wanted to sit down, because of the strong memories. This Aubrey was more ragged than I'd ever seen her before in my life. Her beautiful hair was too long, and it was uncombed and scraggly. She was so skinny that I could almost see through her, and despite the summer heat she was wearing a baggy long sleeve shirt and jean pants that were way too big. They looked like Soda's jeans, and they probably were actually. Her face was pale and drawn, and her eyes stood out, but they weren't sparkling like I remembered, they were cold and hard and they looked dead. Aubrey Holloway had once been a pretty girl with a firy temper, but now all of her zest was sucked out of her.

"What are you doing in long sleeves kid? You'll die of heat stroke" I scolded her after giving her a long hug, noting her bony hands and arms.

"I'm not hot" she argued, but I could see the sweat dripping from her forehead, and I grabbed her bags, well her bag because she only had one.

"Soda had to get some stuff for when he..." I stopped talking abruptly, even thinking about Soda going off to war brought a hard lump to my throat. "I told him I stopped you from coming too" I said with a sheepish smile at long last. She didn't smile, it was like she had forgotten how to smile.

"Good" she answered and we climbed into the truck, making it home without saying a single word and when we got there two people were sitting on our front porch, Two-Bit and Ponyboy.

**Two-Bit's POV **

She was so different it was unbelievable, but when I saw her I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. This girl that I'd been thinking about constantly for so long was back at long last.

"Aubrey!" I yelled excitedly, running to her when she climbed down from the truck and throwing my arms around her. She hugged me back a little bit, but she didn't smile.

"Hi Two-Bit" she told me gently, when she let go of me her sleeves dropped a little and she hastily pulled them back up.

"God I've missed you, why'd you leave without even saying goodbye? Were you mad? Are you still mad?" I questioned her, she bit her lip a little bit as if the memories were too much for her to keep inside.

"I don't know, I guess I forgot" She said, and from her voice I could tell it was a lie. I remembered a time when Aubrey Holloway had been one of the most accomplished liars in Tulsa, Oklahoma but now she had fallen to pieces, I could tell by the way she talked when she was lying. Her lack of skills though didn't stop her from trying to lie.

"Hi Aubrey" Ponyboy said hugging her, rather loosely. He had changed a lot too after Dally and Johnny died but he was doing better now because he had a girlfriend he was pretty close to, her name was Candy, or Cathy or something. I'd never been really good at remembering names.

"Hey kid" She answered him, it wasn't the welcome I'd expected them to give each other, but I guess they weren't really energetic for the most part. As if on cue another car pulled up to the house and Soda and Steve stepped out.

"Well look what the cat drags in!" Steve whooped as he hugged Aubrey tightly. She hugged him back less enthusiastically.

"Hey Steve" she answered, I remembered that Steve and Aubrey had made up right before she'd left for college. Soda stared at her long and hard for a few seconds before finally running to her and hugging her tightly. She gave him a more enthusiastic hug than she'd given any of the rest of us and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I told you not to come down here dammit" he mumbled to her.

"I wanted to see you before you left" She said, sounding a little angry and hurt at the same time.

"Ok" he answered her, simply "Ok".

**Aubrey's POV**

I almost cried as I looked at Sodapop and Steve sitting in the living room, arm wrestling and playing cards like they normally did. It was hard for me to believe that their worlds weren't ending like mine was. It had been hard for me to believe that the world hadn't stopped after Dally and Johnny died too though, that's why I left. Dally and Johnny, it was strange how their names could still bring tears to my eyes and a sharp sting to my heart.

I entered my room, glancing around at the walls quickly, it was almost the same as it had been before. For some reason unfathomable to me Ponyboy had never tried to get this room for himself, maybe it was because the room in particular had been the room my mother and I had lived in when we came back from New York such a long time ago. I'd been 14 then, god fourteen seemed like a million years before then.

My first order of business was to unpack my bag, and I insisted on doing this myself because of what was inside of it. I took out clothes and pictures and other personal items, leaving on the bottom only a couple of razors, and a plastic bag full of multi-colored pills, a glass bottle of whiskey, and some medical needles filled with some substance, nobody could ever see these things or everything would end for me.

I'd truly become very skilled at using both the pills, the whiskey, the needles and the razors. I wasn't a hippie, but that didn't mean that I wasn't experimenting with the drugs of the late '60's. LSD was a must have for me, I was becoming a druggie as much as I didn't want to admit it, and morphine was also easy to come by for me. I was becoming far too dependent on these things, this was what I wanted off of my mind. The razors were for something else, not my drug use. These were the reasons I was wearing long sleeves in the winter. All up my arms, but mostly on my upper arms there were scars from where I'd been cutting myself steadily for around a year by then for the adrenaline rush I got. God, I truly needed help I thought as I shoved all of these things under a loose floorboard by my bed. As I did this my thoughts strayed to Two-Bit, Two-Bit! I was so confused about him, I didn't know what my relationship with him was. Would he want to get back together with me? Could I get back together with him without hurting myself? No, probably not but was it worth trying? I pondered as I sat down on the bed and drifted off into sleep.


	2. It Wasn't Enough

Author's Note- So it's been a while eh? Sorry about that, I'm having a tiny lapse of ideas and I'm working on a story map so I can work out all of my kinks and get this thing on the move. Unfortunately I'm extremely busy registering for high school classes, doing homework and working on Battle of the Books and of course making myself some money. My dad is home now too! YAY!

Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders, I do own Aubrey and any other original characters mentioned I own. This story is for ME, I don't write for anyone else but me and people who enjoy my work. This story isn't based on you, this story isn't based on someone you know and if it bears any relationship to you or someone you know then it is purely coincidental. And I know to some of you this seems dumb to write all of this but believe it or not some kid practically stalked one of my friends over a story that she wrote, saying that she stole their life story and wrote it into a story. Wow, what a weird person. Also, if you are reading this I suggest you read "Battle Scars" before, and then you'll know what you're doing.

Dedication- **m-fashion – **Thank you very much, and I'm glad you liked "Battle Scars" as well.

Replies: **x fever x- **Haha, yeah everything she did in the first story was building up to that one chapter there and after I wrote it I was like "I spent four weeks of my life on this chapter? AHHHH" Well I certainly do feel very accomplished, all of my friends are babies, they cry at the drop of a hat so it isn't all that wonderfully complimenting when they cry, but people who don't normally cry at a story, and they cry at one of mine is very complimenting.

**Hannah- **I know, poor poor Soda. I love the guy, but I'm a history buff and couldn't resist a little history lesson in here, and something had to bring Aubrey back.

Ok, I'm done.

**Story- **

**Aubrey's POV**

I woke up with a loud bang. It was the 13th day that I'd been there. The next day Sodapop would be leaving to fight in that damn war. I sighed heavily and looked around wearily, wondering what the sound had been. I soon found out as I managed to stumble into the kitchen. The clock was on the floor in pieces. I looked around wildly, thinking it had just fallen on it's own before I noticed someone sitting in the corner, head pulled up to their knees. I walked over to them and put my hand on their shoulder.

"What happened?" I whispered softly, the face looked up with me and it was so horrible it barely resembled Steve. His face was horribly contorted in anger, and he was bruised and bloody. He shoved my hand off of his shoulder mechanically. The look on his face reminded me of Dally so vividly that I took a step back and a shiver went down my spine.

"I knocked the damn clock over. Stupid clock." He muttered, looking down at his feet angrily.

"What did the clock do to you?" I asked quizzically.

"Nothing! You'd think my dad would leave me the hell alone since I'm leaving tomorrow, but he won't. It's the first time he ever beat me. I can't stand that man" Steve spat spitefully. I almost fell onto a chair, it still brought back terrible memories to think about father's beating their kids, my step-dad had done that to me for years. It seemed like no matter what happens it always brings back bad memories for me. I walked over to the table quietly, not saying a word to him and pulled out a few pieces of ice, wrapping them in a towel I handed it to him and patted his back a little as I helped him to a chair. "I didn't mean to get so angry" he said to me gruffly, glancing over to the clock.

"It's OK" I told him, not really worrying about the broken glass littering the floor.

"Where's Soda?" Steve asked me after a while.

"He went to go say goodbye to everyone at the DX, and all of his girlfriends and stuff" I said with a sigh.

"Oh" he answered, and we both sat there in silence for a long night before he finally spoke again "You met Darry's fiancée Caroline yet?" he questioned me. My head snapped up.

"Fiancée?" I asked unbelievingly.

"You didn't know?" Steve said, raising his head so fast that it made him dizzy, and lowering it back into his arms.

"No, what the hell are you talking about?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Darry got engaged to a broad, and she isn't a greaser either. She's a good looking girl too. Her name's Caroline. They've been engaged for about 3 weeks" he said, staring at me hard again.

"They never felt the need to mention he was getting married!" I said, my voice sounding rather bitter.

"Well Soda and me getting drafted and all probably made them forget" Steve said, trying to cover up for Darry and Soda, but mostly Soda.

"As close as me and Soda are he never mentioned to me that Darry was getting married. We never talk anymore, he doesn't need me anymore" I whispered. Steve shook his head.

"Don't start that Aubrey, don't even try to start feeling sorry for yourself because I'm going off to fight a bunch of Vietnamese, and I haven't ever shot a person before in my life you know?" He asked me, his voice raising. "You aren't going to see as many things as what I'm gonna see" he said angrily, and then he seemed to realize how many people I'd watched die in front of me and he stopped abruptly, looking at me with wide eyes. "I'm sorry Aubrey, I'm sorry kid. I didn't mean it" he mumbled, looking sheepish.

"It's alright" I whispered, and I looked down at my hands scrutinizing. He shook his head and sighed deeply.

"So, you and Two-Bit going to get back together?" He asked me, I guess he was trying to change the subject.

"I don't know. I don't think that things are the same between us anymore, and he probably doesn't want to get back with me anyway" I said with a shrug, picking an apple up off of the middle of the table and taking a bite out of it.

"If you knew how many times he said 'I wonder what Aubrey is doing now' you wouldn't even suggest that" Steve said with a short laugh. I almost smiled, but caught myself.

"That doesn't mean anything" I answered him wearily.

**Soda's POV**

When I got into that truck I felt like it was my death sentence, I was leaving my family for who knows how long, and I may not even ever see them again. Those were the only thoughts running through my head as I looked over at Steve who was sitting in the driver's seat. Aubrey was planning on coming with us to the shipping depot but she was staying home because she'd gotten really sick that morning. She was sitting out on the porch though to see us off, and she was drawn and pale. She looked out with icy blue eyes, she looked like she could see through my soul or something and I shuddered. Steve patted my arm a little as he revved up the car. "Everything's going to be alright Soda. We're gonna be home in a couple of months. This war is almost over." He said, trying to reassure me. It wasn't working. The night before I'd really said my goodbyes to everyone, it had been really emotional saying bye to my brothers; we'd all ended up crying for a while. Aubrey hadn't cried at that small family thing but when I'd went to her room late in the night to go talk to her like we'd talked as kids about how scared I was she'd shed a few tears over it.

The two of us had sat up late into the night talking to each other and I was so tired I felt like I couldn't moved, then it seemed like as soon as I went to bed I was awake again, and I was following Aubrey to the bathroom where she threw up into the toilet a couple of times and then sort of sat against the wall and rocked back and forth, moaning in agony. When she was holding her hair out of her face her long sleeved shirt slid down her bony arms a little, and I'd seen horrifying marks on her arms, cuts and something that resembled pin pricks. I shuddered now even thinking about it. What had happened to her?

I pressed my forehead against the foggy, cold window with a small yawn and looked out at the houses as we passed them, they seemed so small and torn up now from the truck and I tried to remember each and every one so that if I never came back I'd remember. I tried not to remember Aubrey as she was now, but as she was when she was younger. It was painful to look at what she'd wasted away to.

The people who'd seen me off that morning had been Ponyboy, Darry, Aubrey, Two-Bit, Cathy and Caroline. Caroline was Darry's fiancée. They'd known each other for around 8 months, and Darry was head over heels for this girl. She was a Socy girl and she was really pretty with brown hair and hazel eyes and a really soft laugh. She loved Darry a lot but she was kind a bossy and she treated me and Ponyboy like kids. I'd heard her telling Darry that she didn't think Aubrey was a good influence on the two of us a few nights before. That morning was actually the first time she'd met Aubrey, but she'd heard about her reputation from a bunch of different people.

Cathy was Ponyboy's girlfriend. They'd been dating for about 3 months, and she was really getting Pony's mind off of death and morbid stuff. He'd made a few friends at school, but they weren't buddies like us. People with names like Bryon and Mark but I'd never met the Bryon kid, the Mark guy I'd seen and heard of before, he was in jail I think he reminded me of a lion, but that was beside the point. Cathy was a pretty girl too; she had long hair and charcoal colored hair and eyes. She reminded me of a doll with her figure and everything. She was smart too, and middle-classed. Ponyboy had never wanted some greasy broad. My thoughts drifted aimlessly for the rest of a ride because truly how does one prepare themselves for almost certain death in combat?

Author's Note- Sorry it was kinda short. I'm listening to the Good Charlotte "The Chronicles of Life and Death" CD and it's depressing, and I'm listening to "We Believe" now which mentions 'another war to fight' so it sorta gave me a little inspiration. Hope you enjoyed it and keep the reviews coming.


	3. Another Turning Point A Fork In The Road

**Author's Note-** I'm on my way to a party very shortly so I'm sorry if I have to cut this pretty short.

**Disclaimer-** Same as the chapter before, I suggest you read it.

**Dedication-** **xohugsndkissesox-**Thank you very much for reading "Battle Scars" and I'm glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy this story as much, if not more. Hope this update is soon enough for you!

**Replies-** **x fever x- **Isn't it funny how you are always first on the replies? Yup Cathy is actually a character from "That Was Then…This is Now" and so are Bryon and Mark. Caroline is an original character though. I'm extremely opposed to the draft; my view is if you can drink at the age of 21 but you can be drafted to war at the age of 18 then there is something wrong with the world. The chances of you dying in war are far greater than you dying in a drunk driving accident. Thank you muchly.

**m-fashion- **Thank you very much, haha, I love dedications! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Contact Info-** You know the drill, in the profile and everything. For some reason asterisks don't work on this thing, so the profile is really messed up but whatever. Enjoy.

**Story- **

**Aubrey's POV **

I shoved the food around on my plate unhappily. I didn't want to be sitting here at this table with these people. The people at the table happened to be Ponyboy, Cathy, Caroline, Darry, Two-Bit and I. It was an uncomfortable silence that was surrounding the group of us. Two-Bit really wasn't eating anything; he was just drinking a beer and sort of watching us. Ponyboy and Cathy sat beside each other but neither of them spoke, and Darry was quiet. Finally Caroline began to talk.

"So Aubrey, I heard you've been in trouble with the law and so forth" she said, with an imperious tone.

"Yes" I answered her, even though it was more of a statement than a question.

"So" she said, looking at me over her glasses.

"So" I answered her, receiving a look from Darry that would make anyone else drop dead, but I'd gotten those looks since I was a kid and it didn't faze me…much. Two-Bit gave me a slight grin, apparently it was very rare for someone to talk back to Caroline but that Socy kid wasn't going to scare me in my own home, because it was still my home.

"So, what did you do?" she questioned me, putting a dainty bite of bread in her mouth.

"Do for what?" I asked innocently, still shoving my food around my plate and looking up at her with a fake wide-eyed innocence.

"Do to get in trouble with the law" she said snappishly. Darry turned to look at her, giving her the same look he'd given me. 'Good' I thought to myself smugly 'he isn't going to constantly favor her'

"Oh, should've said so. Everything you can really think of" I said with a bright grin. At this Two-Bit snorted and laughed and Darry turned his angry gaze back to me. Caroline and Cathy looked shock; Cathy was embarrassed but tried to hide it while Caroline gave me an open-mouthed look of awe. I could tell she was appalled.

"Aubrey is kidding, mostly a couple of small thieveries and murder but she got off on self defense" Ponyboy said after nobody said anything. Caroline turned to look at me in shock.

'And some drug charges' I almost added, but Darry didn't know about those and I didn't want him to know about them in particular.

"Murder?" Caroline asked finally, looking around the table. I took a bite of my spaghetti at long last.

"I killed my best friend, a Soc from Texas" I finally managed to mumble but a hard lump was forming in my throat.

"Sorry Aubrey" Ponyboy whispered, giving me a sideways glanced, I gave him a small, weak smile and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"It's OK kid" I answered him, pushing my plate away. "I'm going to take a walk" I informed everyone as I left the table, and Two-Bit stood up and followed me outside.

"Hi" he said to me, swaying a little in the light from the newly-installed light on the porch.

"Hey" I said, pushing the sleeves up on my shirt a little because it was so hot, and then pulling them down once again.

"You want me to walk with you? We could talk a little bit" he told me, his voice was soft and it sent a chill down my spine.

"Alright" I answered him, trying to sound like it didn't really matter to me whether he walked off with me or not.

"So, I guess Caroline doesn't like you too much huh?" He asked me, still not walking so steadily as we made it down the street in the moonlight.

"I'm not too fond of her either if you didn't notice" I answered him, and he gave me a wide grin.

"I could tell. She's real nice once you get over that thing that she has going on, where she thinks she's smarter than you are and stuff" he said with a little bit of a slur on the last words.

"Yeah, I can't believe Darry would go for a Soc anyway" I said begrudgingly kicking a rock on the road and shoving my hands into my pockets because Two-Bit was getting nearer to me and I didn't want to be tempted to hold his un-beer-holding hand.

"He loves her" Two-Bit said, he was so close to me now in his steps that I could see his gray eyes, they were sparkling with laughter but they seemed to have a wall in front of them now, hiding some of his playfulness. I wanted to reach out and touch him to make sure he was real, I'd missed him too much for words. Somehow to me being with Two-Bit was different now, we weren't the same people anymore, not the same playful and sort of trusting kids that we'd been before.

"I know he does. It's just…I don't know. I feel like they don't need me out here anymore. It's like nobody needs me." I whispered. Two-Bit surprised me by immediately walking to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling us both to a dead stop. I didn't know what to do, so I did what I found myself comfortable with and I rested my head on his chest, breathing in the scent of cigarette smoke, beer, and a little bit of cologne.

"They need you kid, we all missed you a lot when you left. I missed you a whole lot" he said, I looked up to see his face, trying to judge whether he was serious or not. He was judging by his eyes. I smiled inwardly but I just hugged myself closer to him. I didn't answer, I was too afraid to answer because I didn't really know what I was feeling, was it regret? I closed my eyes shut and tried to remember what it was like with him before, then I started to cry. It was so overwhelming and new to me that I didn't know what I was doing it was like it just happened. Two-Bit seemed surprise, but he pulled me down onto the sidewalk and pulled me into his lap. I sat there and sobbed onto his neck, with one hand on his cheek and one hand on his back just crying. He rubbed my hair and kissed the top of my head and made soothing sounds to try and calm me down.

"It's just…Soda's going away and I'm so confused and I'm so scared and I don't know what's going to happen to me Two-Bit. Ponyboy has Cathy, and Darry has Caroline and they're not gonna want me here anymore and I quit college I don't have anywhere to go and…" I had to stop and cry a little bit longer, sobs racked my body and he just comforted me gently, finally I got my voice back again.

"I just wish I had my mom back, or my sister, or even Dally or Johnny, and even if Soda and Steve aren't dead they're as good as dead because I can't talk to them while they're off there. You're really all I've got Two-Bit. You're all I have left" I whispered, and I fell asleep there in his arms.

When I woke up Two-Bit was on the arm chair sleeping, holding a beer in one hand. Caroline was sitting in a rocking chair sewing. Who had time for sewing? I wondered. Nobody was in the dimly lit room.

"What happened?" I asked Caroline, my voice croaking groggily.

"Two-Bit brought you up here, sleeping and your eyes were all swollen and you'd been crying. Darry thought Two-Bit beat and raped you" she said with a slight smile. "He was going to kill him before Two-Bit explained everything" she said glancing over to the sleeping form in the arm chair.

"I fell asleep crying about something." I said with a glance over to Two-Bit as well.

"You love him?" she asked me, that question was so familiar it brought a big lump to my throat. I glanced back over to him with a small sniffle and I thought.

"I don't know" I answered her quietly. She looked up from her sewing but didn't say anything. "How did you know if you loved Darry?" I questioned.

"It was like a fluttery feeling in my stomach every time I saw him" she said with a small smile.

"It's like a rock in my stomach, and my chest tightens up" I told her soberly although I was truthfully a little drunk. "Is that love?" I asked. She cocked her head to the side and looked at me for a few seconds.

"Maybe you're just afraid to love somebody" she told me.

"I'm not" I shouted jumping up with such suddenness that I scared myself. "Don't you fucking tell me what I'm doing and what I'm not doing" and I ran into my room, slamming the door loudly and throwing myself onto the bed.


	4. Hysterical

**Author's Note**- So I'm sitting here and watching "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Ok, what a lie. I'm actually watching Shane West but the movie is where I'm watching him. So anyway, here I go again rambling. I'll write the chapter now. Hopefully humor in this one? Maybe?

**Disclaimer-** I don't own the Outsiders, but you're some smart people you can figure that out, I'd be gloating about the release of "Hawkes Harbor" if I was S.E. Hinton.

**Dedication-** **kina- **Thanks for the review, and I certainly have a motive for making Soda go to Vietnam.

**Replies: **

**x fever x- **It was weird writing that chapter because I wanted Aubrey to have someone to blame her frustrations on and I was like "Oooh Caroline is the perfect nemesis" and then I realized at the end of it she was sorta getting likeable and I was like "NOOOOO I can't think Caroline is a NICE person!" so I made Aubrey sort of hormonal there at the end. Ok that thoroughly confused me, on to the next person! Thank you times a million and one.

**xohugsndkissesox- **You're welcome and thank you very much. I hope this is soon enough for you and that you like this chapter.

**Heyy- **Oh no, you aren't going to accuse me of stealing your birth records and writing a story about you are you? Sorry, someone did that to my friend. But anyway, thank you very much and I hope I updated soon enough for you and that you like the chapter.

**Mrs. Benji Madden- **I know. I absolutely adore Good Charlotte and most of their songs. I can't believe that "We Believe" is going to be their new single though, but the video sounds pretty cool so I can't wait to see it. Its weird cuz Simple Plan are also doing a sad song for their next single. Caroline the bitch! Hehehe. Glad you like the story though, thanks muchly for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter.

**Contact Info- **I've already taken up a lot of your time so just check the profile.

**Story- **

**Two-Bit's POV**

If I'd known where I was when I woke up that morning I probably wouldn't have done what I did. What I did was jumped up from the arm chair, screamed shrilly like a little girl, and ran into the nearest room. The nearest room just so happened to be Aubrey's room where she was standing by the mirror pulling on some clothes. This brought me sharply back down to reality, and of course seeing a girl in her underwear in the middle of the room froze me into one spot instead of sending me running like seeing someone like Darry getting dressed would have done. This screaming and running and freezing all confused Aubrey terribly as well because she turned around, opened her mouth really wide, screamed and shoved me so hard that I fell back into the hall, and she slammed the door shut. This of course alerted the other people in the house who were Ponyboy, Caroline and Darry. The three of them immediately began running from the directions they were in, and Ponyboy and Darry collided painfully before making it to the hallway in question, and Caroline came from the other direction.

"Oh my god what happened?" She asked as she surveyed Ponyboy and Darry both in the floor rubbing their heads and wincing, me in the hallway with my eyes wide open and laughing maniacally because watching people collide is hilarious and Aubrey shrieking from in her room about perverted bastards. At her remark though Ponyboy and Darry were brought to hysterics as well and the two of them laughed maniacally as well, a few seconds later Aubrey came into the hallway.

"They've gone crazy" she muttered to herself, surveying the mess of a hallway, she looked cautiously over to Caroline who to her seemed like the only sane one.

"I think they have" she answered her, and then Aubrey grinned with delightfulness as she realized what happened. She collapsed into the floor with giggles as Caroline turned quickly away and went back to the kitchen. It was truly the first time any of us had a really good laugh since Steve found out he was being drafted.

**Later**

"God I thought you were a perverted freak when you ran into my room this morning" Aubrey told me with a laugh as she shoved me lightly towards the sidewalk, unfortunately since I was so drunk I was a little off balance and I almost fell over. We both laughed.

"No, I was just reallllllly confused, and I saw a half-naked girl and couldn't believe my luck" I explained as we walked briskly towards Jay's. The Dingo had been our local hang-out but it'd been blown to smithereens in a bombing a while back and they'd never really thought about building it again, either that or they were too lazy.

"You hungry?" she asked me quietly as we sat down at a booth.

"Starved" I answered, picking up a menu and then throwing it back down just as quickly. She smiled brightly and I was reminded of the old Aubrey.

"So am I" she said, picking up the menu and then throwing it down like I had. The waitress stopped at our table shortly afterwards.

"What are you planning on eating?" She asked with a long sigh like she'd rather be doing anything but working there at the time. The waitress was young, and she was pretty. A blonde I noted delightedly, and then I realized I happened to be there with a very pretty girl and turned my thinking cap off, and my thinking cap isn't in my head if you get my drift. So what if Aubrey wasn't as pretty as she had been, she was still good-looking.

"I'll take a cheeseburger, everything on it and a cherry coke" I informed her with a big grin. She didn't crack a smile, and I immediately checked her off my list for good. She had no sense of humor and I wasn't into her.

"I'll take the same, except make my cheeseburger plain" Aubrey said, opening a straw and bending it into squares, then finally placing it on the table and bouncing it around like it was a spring. As we waited for the 'delightful' waitress to come back we just stared around the place, not really talking to each other at all.

"So, how's your sister?" Aubrey asked me, staring past me at the window behind me. I wondered for a moment if she was asking out of politeness, or because she had nothing else to say but when she looked at me I realized she was asking out of genuine concern.

"She's doing OK. She's in high-school this year, she's had a bunch of guys after her but I've been running them off" I answered her with a laugh. She gave me a smile, and her eyes twinkled briefly.

"Running them off?" she said with a twisted smile.

"Sure. Wouldn't want any guys taking off with my baby sister would I? I know how guys are, I'm a guy myself and I know what's on my mind constantly" I told her, leading her to believe I was talking about sex or something, when in all actuality the thing on my mind constantly was Aubrey herself.

"Perv" she said sweetly, and she patted my cheek.

"Hey hot stuff" A voice from beside us said. I turned around but Aubrey didn't.

"Get away Buck" she said in a gravelly voice, even though she hadn't seen him she apparently knew who it was. I recognized this person as Buck Merrill, a friend of Dally's before he'd died, he'd been interested in Aubrey I remembered. I prided myself on my memory…wait my memory was terrible. Whatever.

"Alright, alright. But if you're feeling lonely with Dallas dead and all you can come to me. I'll comfort you" he said with a wink. I thought Aubrey was going to jump out of her seat and choke Buck to death at that moment, and she probably would have if I hadn't gotten so angry myself. I jumped up, grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the table beside our booth.

"Leave her the hell alone and don't mention Dallas again to her. You hear me?" I screamed at him, feeling suddenly overcome with a burning anger. Aubrey looked shocked for a second as I looked back at her but she wiped that off of her face quickly.

"Yeah" Buck stammered, and I was about to punch him when Aubrey grabbed my arm and pulled on the sleeve of my jacket.

"Come on Two-Bit, let's go" she said in a soft voice. I turned to her, then back to Buck and finally followed her out of the door without eating.

"Sorry" I told her gruffly as I pulled a beer out of the pocket of my jacket and took a large swallow of it.

"It's OK, Buck's a jerk but I don't want you picked up by the fuzz because of something he said" she told me with a low sigh that sounded like a growl. That's when we noticed the fight going on in the park. It wasn't very rare that you found a fight because a lot of people were spending time beating each other to a pulp when they had nothing else to do but this one was different and we realized why after only a few short moments of watching.

"It's Ponyboy!" I realized and shouted at Aubrey whose eyes opened wide, and the two of us ran towards the mob scene unfolding before us.

**Author's Note- **Sorry it was rather short. I got kind of confused and I've missed more than ¾ of "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"


	5. Uncovered

**Author's Note-** Ok, I'm sorry that it took me absolutely forever for this chapter. I've been really really really busy lately with Battle of the Books. If you haven't heard of it, I don't really have time to explain it. But we won County, and we won Regionals yesterday and now I really have to work hard to try and win State so I won't be updating much until the 30th.

**Disclaimer-** Don't own the Outsiders.

**Dedication-** Adam Sandler for being funny. Yeah.

**Replies:** **xohugsndkissesox- **Well thank you, and I'm glad you like it. I agree, Buck grinds my nerves. Maybe it's the whole front teeth missing and I'm drunk as hell thing? –laughs- but anyway.

**m-fashion- **I know, poor Ponyboy he's just too innocent and adorable and irresistible to being jumped. Glad you're back though.

**x fever x- **I know! For some reason I was all into sexual humor or something in that chapter. Maybe it's because this story seems more mature –ponders- anyway. Buck does need a good ass-kicking huh?

**Contact Info- **In the profile

**Story- **

**Pony's POV**

It was as if the summer's normally warm air was trying to spite me in a way. I couldn't get over how cold it was. I looked over at Cathy nervously and saw that she was staring straight ahead, towards the inky black background of the night. I pulled nervously on the sleeves of my jacket, trying desperately to make them go down to my wrists. In about six months my arms and legs had grown so much it was scary, I'd gained weight and I was so much taller that most of my clothes didn't fit anymore. I glanced back over to Cathy and this time she was looking back at me. She smiled and grabbed my hand and we kept walking in companionable silence. "So… what do you want to do?" she asked me. The night was very young at only 6:30; I wondered vaguely why the sky was so dark at that early but just shrugged it off. I shrugged and gave her a long sigh. That's when I noticed the people standing over by the park benches; it was a group of people crowded around one person.

The crowd broke up for about a second and I noticed the person being kicked was one of those hippie kids. Before I could advise Cathy that we should leave she was running over there. I could feel myself begin to shake, and not from the unnaturally cold summer air either, those kids were much bigger than us and we were outnumbered. One of them looked familiar in a way and as we drew nearer I noticed that it was Tim Shepard kicking the hippie. I breathed in deeply; this was bad, really bad. There was no stopping Tim Shepard, and I didn't want to get into a fight with him over some hippie I didn't know. I know that you're thinking right now that I'm a jerk for not helping, but really hippies get beaten up every day and I can't stop all of them from getting hurt, and I don't want me getting hurt for someone I don't know. Cathy however wasn't having the same feeling I was.

"Hey! Stop it!" Cathy yelled as she broke into the crowd, the sea of guys parted and Cathy kneeled at the hippie kid's side. For a second the group looked shocked, but then Tim's face broke into an amused smirk.

"Get the hell away from him girl, it's none of your business" he said with a wry laugh. At that moment I reached the group, and I realized with horror that the only person I actually recognized WAS Tim Shepard, wait no there was someone else that I saw dimly in the moonlight filtering through the dense tree limbs above us, but this one was a girl. It was Sylvia, Dallas's old girlfriend.

"Ponyboy!" Tim said in realization as he caught sight of me. He patted my back enthusiastically. "What are you up to? This your broad?" he asked me with a slight laugh. I looked over to Cathy, wondering whether it would offend her if I said yes, maybe it would offend her if I said no? I compromised by not answering.

"This is Cathy" I told him, looking over at her, she was staring up at me.

"You know this guy Pony?" she asked me, shocked. I nodded.

"Wait! Ponyboy Curtis?" Sylvia finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence following that question. "You're Dally's friend right? He got himself killed or something huh, too bad we broke up right before that or I'd still have his ring" she said with a laugh that sent chills down my spine, that girl was a- well I'm not even going to say what I thought she was. I motioned for Cathy to get up, but she just kept trying to pull the hippie kid off of the ground.

"Hey Ponyboy, you better get out of here and don't even mess around with the hippie kid. We're just having a little fun with him" Tim Shepard said giving Sylvia a piercing glance, Dally had been his buddy too.

"Ok Tim, we're going" I said, bending down and pulling on Cathy's sleeve.

"No Ponyboy! C'mon help me get this kid up" she said to me with an upset glare.

"No Cathy, forget him" I urged her.

"I can't believe you! Don't you want to help someone?" she asked angrily.

"Yeah broad, get your dirty fingers off of him" Tim said, nudging Cathy with his shoe.

"Don't touch me" She spat at him. His eyes grew wide with anger as mine grew wide with fear.

"You stupid broad!" Tim roared at her, I thought he would hit her for a moment but he didn't.

"Don't call her stupid Tim" I whispered when Cathy gave me a hurt-filled look.

"What did you say?" Tim said turning to me.

"Don't call her stupid" I repeated myself, backing up a little bit right into the arms of one of his group. At that moment Tim took a swing at me and the rest of his group began laying punches onto me violently. Cathy screamed but managed to drag the hippie kid out of harms way, just as Sylvia kicked her into a tree. I tried fighting off the group of boys hitting me but I couldn't do it, there were just too many of them and they were tough.

"What the hell is happening over there?" I heard someone yelling, and footsteps were pounding over towards me. The fight broke up for a second and everything was frozen. I realized then who had come to my rescue, it was Two-Bit and Aubrey.

"Stay out of this Matthews, it's between me and the kid here" Tim said turning to glance at me angrily.

"What the hell happened?" Two-Bit asked again.

"None of your goddamn business" Sylvia said, I realized then that her cheap perfume was clogging my nostrils and making me feel a bit queasy. Before I realized what had happened Aubrey was pulling a friggin gun out of her pocket, she aimed it steadily at Sylvia.

"Leave the kid alone, and get out of here or I'll kill her right now" Aubrey said, her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible. Tim's eyes widened slightly and he gave her an angry look.

"Alright, we're going then. C'mon boys" he said motioning to his group, and they all climbed into a car parked near the edge of the park. Sylvia didn't follow them though; she just kept staring spitefully at Aubrey.

"He never loved you" she said with a slight chilling laugh, shooting daggers with her eyes at Aubrey. I knew who she was speaking about, it was Dallas and I gulped loud enough that everyone pretty much heard me all the way to England. I looked over at Aubrey's face for her reaction and I almost fell back a little at the absolutely scary look in her eyes.

"If you don't get out of here by the count of three I'll shoot you, and I'm not kidding. I'm not afraid to get a slut like you off of the streets" Aubrey countered angrily and Sylvia ran off to get into the car with Tim Shepard. Two-Bit walked up to her and wrapped one arm around his waist, with his other hand he lowered her arm with the gun in it to her side, and he loosened the gun from her grip, putting it into his jacket pocket.

"C'mon Aubby" He whispered gently, "You kids too" he said turning to us slightly and both Cathy and I stood up and began to follow. I realized then that the hippie kid had already run off.

**Aubrey's POV**

Two-Bit walked for a while with his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder and his warm breath on my neck sent chills down my spine. I was shocked with myself, if you'd asked me if I would've pulled a gun on someone before that incident I would have told you no, but I guess sometimes you just have to surprise yourself.

"Two-Bit?" I asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice tickling my ear. I giggled slightly, I had completely forgotten Soda for a few moments and it was good to forget for a while, especially when you aren't even using booze. By this time we were nearing Two-Bit's house where we were going to get his car so he could drive Cathy home. Pony and I were going to walk the rest of the way to our house.

"Do you think we could make it?" I asked him, he let go of my waist and walked around to the front of me, so that he could look at my face. He motioned to Cathy and Pony to keep walking.

"Make it?" he asked a genuine look of confusion on his face. I looked into his eyes, seeing humor and a desperate attempt to be serious for once, and concern. He cared about me, more than Dally had, or at least more than I'd been able to tell from Dally. I was about to explain myself when I just shrugged, because there was something I was missing in Two-Bit's eyes, something I desperately wanted, something Dally's gaze had held for me and I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

"Never mind" I whispered after a while, and Two-Bit didn't ask me anymore questions.

**A teensy bit later**

"You're bleeding" I informed Ponyboy as we walked down the street towards our house.

"Yeah?" he asked reaching to his face. He pulled it away with a glistening of rich blood on his fingers.

"Here" I said, stopping him on the sidewalk and beginning to tear the hem of my shirt. Finally I managed to rip a piece of it off and I pressed it onto Pony's forehead. My shirt was damp from where Two-Bit and I had run through a yard where someone was watering their flowers. We'd sort of been hit by the water hose, and my shirt was still a little damp. Of course Two-Bit had given me his leather jacket which had managed to keep dry, due to him having it on his head while we ran through the water. I realized then that my shirt just happened to be white, and it had probably been pretty see-through earlier. I laughed a little to myself, of course Two-Bit hadn't bothered mentioning this to me.

"Thanks, but you ruined your shirt" Ponyboy mumbled to me.

"It's alright. I didn't pay for it" I told him, and we began to walk again. Ponyboy didn't ask anymore questions, and I was glad. I didn't want to go into details of this situation. Finally at long last we reached the house and walked in, the room was quiet and at first I thought maybe Caroline and Darry weren't home but apparently my luck was worse than I originally thought.

"What happened to you?" Caroline asked, her eyes wide as she looked at Ponyboy, leaving the kitchen. Ponyboy sighed.

"I'm alright. I just got into a fight" he said, as Caroline pulled the rag of my shirt from his forehead.

"What is this filthy thing?" She asked, dropping the rag onto the floor and leading Ponyboy into the kitchen. I grumbled to myself about her angrily, pulling a cigarette out of my pocket. Darry entered the room just as I managed to get it lit.

"Hey kid. What happened?" Darry asked me, glancing towards the kitchen where Ponyboy and Cathy were still arguing about the best way to doctor his wounds.

"Tim Shepard was beating him up and me and Two-Bit stopped it" I said, taking a long drag of the cigarette. Darry crossed the room in a couple of long strides, took the cigarette out of my mouth and putting it out in an ashtray on the coffee table.

"Why was he beating him up?" Darry asked, his eyes alight with anger.

"I don't know. Can I go to bed now?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows angrily because that had been my last cigarette. Darry just stared at me.

"Sure kid" he said finally "By the way, you got a letter from Soda today. It's on your bed" he told me as I began to walk down the hall. I turned back towards him and nodded, then continued to go into my room noticing the letter lying unopened, thankfully, on my bed.

**Author's Note- **Hope this chapter can hold you over until I can get something better up.


	6. Letters To And Fro

**Author's Note- **Another quick update before I go to eat dinner today. I'm starving and can't wait to eat, so this story is very special.

**Disclaimer- **I don't own the Outsiders. Aubrey belongs to me, but that is beside the point.

**Dedication- **My "handy dandy" notebook that holds all of the information on what will happen in this story. I spent 30 minutes of my science class writing a brief summary of every chapter that will come after "Hysterics". If anyone steals it they will know what happens in the rest of the story.

**Replies: **

**xohugsndkissesox-** Thank you very very much, and here is the update for you.

**x fever x- **That chapter didn't follow my plans in my summaries at all, it was originally going to be some people they didn't know beating him up, but I just thought Tim Shepard was a cool person and I wanted him there. Sylvia is certainly a beyotch.

**Contact Info- **In my profile, but you know this by now.

**Story- **

**Aubrey's POV**

I opened the letter with trembling fingers as I turned on the lamp on my nightstand. I could hear Darry and Ponyboy arguing out in the living room about something trivial, they'd been getting along lately but since Soda left the whole world seemed chaotic. Since the letter I got from Soda was pretty much misspelled everywhere, I think I'll right the wrongs for you in this repeat of it:

Dear Aubby,

Well kiddo, it's really nice to have a chance to sit down and write. I've been working my butt off over here, just training to go overseas. I know that the war is going to be worse than this, but I'm so tired that it isn't even funny anymore. Steve ended up not even being with me in this company, so I don't really know anyone here. On the good side I've finally traveled somewhere huh? Right now we are in a training camp, getting ready for war in North Carolina. We'll be going overseas in little over a week, and this is the first break I've had to write you a letter. I wrote a letter to Darry, and one to Ponyboy too earlier and I sort of put yours off 'till later I guess. It's hard to write a letter to you, because it's much better talking in person. There are some really cool guys here, I like most all of them which isn't necessarily a good thing I guess. We're all pretty nervous to be going overseas, I was surprised that out of the 10 guys I'm really good friends with 6 of them volunteered to get sent over here, only 4 of us were drafted. I don't know why anyone would volunteer to go overseas and fight in a war. One of my new friends, Jesse, he has a wife and a kid back home. He's from California. Can you believe that? California. It's so far from home. He has a picture of the baby, she's so cute. He was one of the other boys who were drafted, he's a year older than me and he reminds me a lot of… well never mind. It doesn't matter anyway. I really miss some good food, it never seemed that good when you were home eating it, but now that I don't have it anymore it seems like it was fit for a king. Well I hope you're having a good time back home, and I hope you're planning on leaving to go back for college soon but I guess you probably won't since you're too stubborn.

Love you,

Soda

**Back to POV**

I sat down onto my bed and propped my feet up on my pillows, putting my head down at the foot of the bed. I re-read the letter a few times, missing Soda and thinking about the letter I'd gotten from him in the church in Windrixville. Sodapop and I mostly always communicated with letters, especially when we were kids. I wasn't much of a correspondent though, because I never really wrote back. I never truly felt like I had something good to say. I was a good journalist, but letters really wasn't my specialty. But now thinking of Soda going overseas I felt like I needed to write back to him.

Dear Soda,

It's really nice to hear from you. We're all really worried about you. You're new friends sound really cool, just make sure you don't forget about us while you're out there with them. You know what, I'll make you a promise. When you get back I'll take you to California. The two of us will go and we'll take in all of the sights, and look at the palm trees and everything. It'll be nice out there on the beach and everything. We'll even go to Hollywood. Today I went out with Two-Bit, but it didn't really turn out that well because I ran into Buck Merrill and Sylvia. Not the most pleasant people in the world I'm sure, but who am I to complain when you're about to go overseas. It really scares me that you'll be gone, but according to the news the war is almost over anyway. If you do by chance see Steve send him our love.

Love you too,

Aubrey

**Back To POV**

This correspondence between Soda and I was the only thing that kept me going much days, I was emotionally dead a lot of the time. Two-Bit tried to comfort me by taking me out places, but it really wasn't the same between me and him anymore and I couldn't pin point the reason for it. Caroline however had become my nemesis in a way. Boy did I hate that girl. Maybe I hated her because she had pretty much moved in under my nose and my cousin had fallen in love with her and not told me a single thing about it until they announced they were getting married, or maybe it was just the attitude she had. She always seemed to think she was better than everyone else, and she was Socy. It drove me absolutely up the wall all of the time. Everyone else for some reason seemed absolutely smitten with her, hell maybe I was jealous but I certainly didn't see anything about her that was particularly charming. This was probably one of the only things I kept out of my letters to Soda, my feud with Caroline because I didn't want to bother Soda with trivial stuff like this, especially when he seemed to like Caroline OK and everything.

Author's Note- Well I'm gonna get dressed, brush my teeth and eat.


	7. Addiction

Author's Note- Our stupid Science teacher gave us a huge project due in May. So it sucks. Plus I have the BOB competition and everything. Ashlyn and I are going to the Noise to the World Tour on June 1st to see Good Charlotte and Simple Plan and it's gonna be 'effin amazing.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders.

Dedication- Everyone. I love you all.

Replies:

**xohugsndkissesox- **Thank you muchly, I'm glad you like it. You're welcome. It's a great story.

**digitaldawn- **I'm like that. I can't remember anything. XD. Well thank you muchly! I think you may have reviewed the first story.

**Mrs. Benji Madden- **I know, and I wrote this chapter during science class so just typing it makes me upset.

Contact Info- Profile.

**Story: **

**Narrator's POV**

Aubrey let the rain fall on her hair without even looking for someplace to get away from it. She was enjoying then way the water could chill her so deeply, and by the time she'd walked a block or so in the rain she was soaking wet. Unlike any normal person, Aubrey didn't have a rain coat or rain boots. She shoved her hands into the pockets of a pair of Ponyboy's old jeans, he'd outgrown them and then she'd seemed to shrink into them. Soon enough headlights came towards her, you know how tempting it is to drive in the rain at night and these people had given in to temptation. Aubrey didn't so much as sidestep as the car came towards her and it came to a screeching halt inches away from her feet.

A boy jumped out of the passenger's seat with a look of rage on his face. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" he yelled at Aubrey, he wasn't a Greaser. He had on a Madras Ski Jacket. The Madras boy kept screaming as another boy piled out of the backseat, he walked over to the stiff Aubrey, he was wearing a blue sweater.

"Shut up" the blue sweater boy told the other one. His friend stopped yelling and immediately got back in the car. "Sorry about him. Are you OK?" he asked imploringly of Aubrey.

"Fine. Peachy." Aubrey answered, and she tried to pull away as he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't leave. He's a jerk, the rest of us are nice. We're going to a party. Are you interested?" he asked her gently. He had a handsome face.

"Fine" Aubrey answered him. She didn't quite know what possessed her to do something that potentially dangerous, but she did it anyway.

**Later**

"I'm Jimmy" the blue-sweater boy explained as he pulled his sweater over his head. "You can wear it if you want, you look cold…"

"Aubrey" she said, "My name is Aubrey" and she took his sweater and pulled it on over her soaked white t-shirt, it was getting see-through. The sweater was a little damp but other than that it was warm.

"Strange name for a girl" the boy who'd yelled at her commented, his name was William. The driver was Michael and the other boy in the back seat was Ricky.

"And William is original" Aubrey retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Ricky laughed.

"I like her name" Michael said at long last.

"For a boy" William answered to back up his point. "My uncle's name is Aubrey" he finished as if that ended the conversation.

"I like it better for a girl. Especially for one this pretty" Ricky said with a coy smile towards Aubrey.

"Gorgeous" Jimmy said, patting her on the thigh as they pulled into the driveway of a large house.

"This is it! Donny's house" Ricky said. Jimmy pulled her along with him as he went into the house. They traveled around, talking to random friends. Aubrey kept thinking repeatedly 'why am I here? Why am I here?' as she sipped on a cup of whiskey and followed Jimmy. Finally they reached a bedroom.

"Hey, come in here" Jimmy told her. Aubrey stood nervously, planted to the floor.

"I don't think…" she trailed off, looking up into Jimmy's dark, handsome eyes.

"C'mon" he said pulling her in by her wrist. Jimmy walked immediately into a bathroom that was connected to the bedroom as Aubrey plopped down on the bed. After a while that Jimmy hadn't come out of the bathroom she went to investigate and she found him sitting on the tile of the bathroom floor with a needle stuck into his arms. She reeled back in shock, she'd heard of people doing heroin but this was the first time she'd actually seen it.

"My God Jimmy" she whispered. He turned around and saw her, his eyes grew wide with pain and fear.

**Later **

The time after that was all a blur to Aubrey as she thought back on it, the needle sticking in her arm on the floor of the much shabbier bathroom. It had been a week since she'd met Jimmy, and been introduced to the wonders of heroin. She stood up slowly and shakily and looked into the cracked mirror above the sink at her reflection. She wanted to cry when she saw herself. Her face was gaunt and so pale it was scary. Her blue eyes didn't shine with their normal light, but seemed dead. Her hair was still long, but it was terribly thin and stringy. She traced her fingers over her face, shocked in a way, but she had known what she looked like of course, it wasn't like she'd never seen a mirror. She remembered when her face was full, her hair was glossy, and her eyes shone with a seemingly endless light. She'd thought she was ugly then, but god how she'd been wrong. Now she was a drug addict to top it off. 'I don't deserve to live' she thought, as she ran her hands through her hair. 'I can't believe Two-Bit still wants me', and she collapsed onto the floor.

Author's Notes- I'm really sorry it's so short.


	8. Toast

**Author's Note:** -whips out Master Outline/Plan of this story- Only 12 chapters after this one is over. Is it dorky that I have the whole story planned out on two little sheets of paper and I carry them around with me everywhere I go? Well anyway, here goes another chapter. I know the last one was sort of sucky because it ended up being super short. Right now I'm listening to "Secrets" – Good Charlotte just for your info, so you'll know the mood of the chapter.

**Contact Info: **In the profile

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Outsiders. I just own Aubrey, Jimmy, William, Michael, Ricky and anyone else you don't recognize from the books.

**Dedication: **Ashlyn because we're going to **_NOISE TO THE WORLD!_**

**Replies: **

**Mrs. Benji Madden- **I know. Bless Aubrey's heart, she always gets into messes. Thanks for the review.

**xohugsndkissesox- **I think I've finally figured out how to spell your name by memory! –laughs- But anyway, thank you muchly for the review. I know, she's addicted to morphine, marijuana, heroin et cetera. Actually when the first chapter came about I was gonna make her addicted to heroin then, but I wasn't sure if heroin was around then and then as I was thinking once the chapter was already up I was like "DEVON YOU STUPID IDIOT! OF COURSE IT WAS AROUND IT'S IN 'RAY' WHICH TAKES PLACE IN LIKE THE '30's AND IS A TRUE STORY!" plus it's in Rumble Fish but I just recently watched that so… yeah.

**Story: **

**Two-Bit's POV**

"Uh-huh" I answered my mom as I shoved a piece of toast into my mouth, or part of a piece of toast anyway. I wasn't really sure what my mom was babbling about, because I wasn't listening, but I decided it seemed safe to agree to whatever it was.

"So, you ARE wearing clean underwear?" she asked, her voice breaking into my solitary bread-crunching.

"MOFUMG" I shouted loudly, like I said, my mouth was full of toast. She gave me a skeptical look.

"What? I was just asking. You wouldn't want to get a rash or something" she said, opening the fridge and looking in at the small amount of food we had. Cheese, jelly, and margarine about summed it up and maybe a little bologna if it was a good week.

"Mom, seriously. Do you think I'm a wild animal?" I asked her, now free of bread and taking a gulp of milk.

"Sometimes you'd be surprised at what I think of you dear" she said, picking up the carton of milk off of the table and sniffing it, then deciding it was OK she placed it back in the fridge. I rolled my eyes, stood up and wrapped my arms around her waist, and picked her up. She laughed like a school girl.

"Keith!" she shrieked. "Felicia is in her room. Don't let her leave, she's grounded. Don't leave the house" she told me when I put her down. Felicia, if you haven't already figured it out, is my sister.

"Alright mom, OK" I told her, as she pulled on her coat and walked out of the door. Of course, I had no intentions what-so-ever to pay attention to my sister, or stay in the house. As soon as my mom was out of the way I pulled on my coat and left as well. I figured I would go by the Curtis's house since Darry, Ponyboy, Caroline and Cathy were going to go look at colleges for Ponyboy, he'd been promoted a grade again and in a year he would be in college. Me, personally, I didn't think they should look for a college until the next summer but you know how the Curtis family is. So anyway, Aubrey was supposed to be home alone today and I was planning on keeping her company.

When I arrived at the front door, I yelled inside and she didn't answer so I let myself in. I walked down the hall rather cautiously and found my way to her bedroom door. I knocked softly, nobody answered, so I walked in. I walked over to the bathroom door where I thought I was hearing sounds coming from and I opened it. What I saw would stay with me for the rest of my life. My eyes grew wide with shock as I saw that Aubrey was sitting on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor with a needle stuck in her arm. I knew immediately what kind of needle this was. It was heroin. Heroin had been ruining everyone in our town and personally I hated it. I was never the type to try drugs though, that was the only thing I wouldn't do if my friends were doing it.

"What in the hell Aubrey?" I asked her, my voice catching in my throat. She hadn't even noticed I was in the room until I made that comment, she looked up and her face was frozen in fear. Her hand wavered and she quickly threw the needle onto the floor.

"Two-Bit" she whispered, and tears sprang to her eyes. "Two-Bit" she whispered again as if my name would save her from what I'd just seen. I wanted to throw up. She started to cry, covering her head with her arms and rocking back and forth. She was shaking with sobs, and even if she was taking heroin I couldn't help but feel immensely sorry for her. I'd always had a soft spot for girls; especially Aubrey and I dropped to the floor beside her and wrapped my arms around her. She pushed her head into my chest and sobbed, running her fingers down my sides and every now and again grabbing my shirt up in her fists and sobbing harder. I stroked her hair softly, comforting her as best as I could but it was no use, she couldn't stop crying. I held her like that for what seemed like an hour but couldn't have been more than 15 minutes as she cried until she was exhausted.

"Why?" I asked her when she finally stopped crying and was worked down to sniffling into my shirt front. I didn't know what to think about her, but I was sure I didn't hate her like I thought I would hate anyone who took heroin. It was impossible to hate her, and I felt emotional pain surging up from my chest like an unstoppable waterfall.

"I don't know why Two-Bit. Oh god, I don't know why." She said, biting her lip and trembling like a leaf. "I don't know why" She repeated, and she looked up, her eyes were brimmed with red and filled with tears, and she looked so pale, innocent and hurt that I wanted to cry, but of course I didn't. She reminded me of a hurt, frail bird.

"You need some help Aubrey. You need some help. Let me get you some help?" I said, feeling desperately inadequate, I didn't know what to do, say, or think.

"I'm going to be OK, I'll stop. I'll stop. Please don't tell Darry. Darry will kill me Two-Bit." She whispered, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and touched my lips to the top of her head, I knew that I should tell Darry but her voice was so pleading that I couldn't bring myself to tell her I wouldn't do what she asked of me.

"I won't tell him Aubrey, but you've got to stop. You're hurting yourself. Don't you see what you're doing to yourself?" I asked her, lifting her chin up with my forefinger and my thumb. She nodded, and gave the mirror a glance. Then she stared into my eyes for a long time, finally I gave in to the urge I was feeling and I kissed her, putting all of my feelings and love into that one kiss. She kissed me back, a little shocked at first but she relaxed and I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't getting as much love back as I wanted. But some is better than none eh? Finally when we broke away from each other I helped her up and led her to the kitchen. I don't know why I didn't try to help her myself, I guess I just figured if Aubrey said she would stop then she would. I guess it wasn't that easy for her though.

I sat down on the edge of the table and she walked to the stove, pulling a loaf of bread out of the oven. "You want some toast?" She asked me, her voice sounding tired and scared. I smiled a bit at the morning memory.

"No thanks" I answered her, feeling a little self-conscious. I watched her as she made herself some, her hair was pulled up in a bun but strands were out of the hair bow and falling down her back. Flyaway ringlets stood off from her head and I smiled to myself, hoping that everything would be OK like we'd said it would.


	9. Leaving It Behind

Author's Note- I'm truly very busy today, and I don't have music to listen to so I'm frantic EEEEEK.

Contact Info- Profile, check it out.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders. This story is rated for drug content, adult themes and language.

Dedication- Nobody.

Replies:

**Horrorpop- **I like your username. Yeah, you know how guys are –taps head with forefinger- a little out of it.

Story:

"Hey Darry?" I whispered softly, touching his back as I walked around beside him at the kitchen sink.

"Uh-huh kid?" he asked me. I was sick of him calling me kid.

"I think I need to get away from here for a while" I told him, my voice level and steady, and I was avoiding eye contact. He turned towards me, dishes still in his soapy hands.

"You're going back to college? Baby that's great" he said with a grin. I sighed and shook my head, curls didn't bounce around like they normally did, my hair was straggly.

"No. I'm going back to New York" when I said it I backed away from him instinctively, so that I was out of his reach.

"What?" He asked. The exact reaction I figured he would have, and I was prepared. I knew how to handle Darry, and talking really fast so that he couldn't get a word in had it's effects on him.

"I think I really need to go there and take a break from life here for a while. I need to get away from everyone and be by myself for a while, and I want to go back there so I can have some thinking time. I'll be OK by myself it won't be that bad honest, and I want to visit Annie's grave and stuff" I said, rapidly shooting information at Darry, almost too fast so that he could barely take it in.

"I don't think you should" he said finally, as he began to rinse off his hands and advance on me, I backed up slowly so far that I was against the wall. "I don't think you should go at all, and I know it can't be good for you to go alone" he informed me in his 'adult' voice. He must've thought it made me feel like a child, but it didn't.

"I'm going whether you like it or not Darry, I have to go." I gulped, and rubbed my arms instinctively.

"No you don't have to" he almost whined in a frustrated way.

"Yes I do" I argued, and with that he turned around and walked into the living room where Caroline was sitting on the couch. Caroline and I still weren't getting along. I left the room and headed down the hall to my bedroom where I sat on the bed and began to pack. I was thinking about Two-Bit at the time, because of what had happened just earlier that day. Two-Bit had caught me taking heroin and it had been the most terrible feeling I'd ever had. I hadn't been able to contain myself as I cried uncontrollably.

I'd promised him that I would stop taking it, but I was finding myself more drawn to it by the minute. It was truly addictive, and I didn't think I'd be able to stop as the day wore on. I could hear Darry and Caroline arguing in the living room, probably about me. I felt the need to get to New York almost strangling me, I wasn't sure what I would do if I made it there but I had the feeling that I wouldn't be coming back from New York. I didn't know what the feeling in my stomach was. I never wanted to come back to that lonely town in Oklahoma to live with my cousins and Darry's spoiled wife, especially if Soda wasn't around to keep me sane. Two-Bit, I would certainly miss him.

I think I knew how much I loved Two-Bit and just didn't want to admit it, I probably needed him to tell the truth but I'm unsure now. It gets difficult to remember things after a while. But somehow it was like my love for him was peeling away like old paint. I would miss Darry and Ponyboy too, I knew that as well there was no getting around it. I thought that maybe if I did get away from them though I could learn some independence.

As I sat there on the bed pondering someone knocked softly on the door.

"Come in" I almost whispered as I looked up from my hands and my suitcase. Ponyboy walked in cautiously.

"Hey Aubrey" he said to me. I tried to smile at him.

"Hey Pony. What's up?" I asked him, surveying his face for a sign of why he was there.

"So you're going to New York?" he nervously asked me. His face was so scared that I wanted to hug him because he seemed to genuinely care, but I'd never been a hugger and he certainly wasn't one.

"Yeah. I need to get out, you know?" I muttered as I pulled a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket, I offered him and he gave me a cautious look. "Don't worry, Darry won't catch us" I assured him, and he grabbed one from me and accepted a light. We both sat for a few seconds in silence as we smoked.

"Are you going by yourself?" he asked me. He reminded me of Soda, and I felt a pang of misery thinking about how he wasn't there with me at the time.

"Yup" I lightly yelped. He bit his lip thoughtfully and put out his cigarette.

"They're arguing about you in there. Caroline doesn't like you at all, she wants you to go so she can get rid of you" he informed me, looking up into my eyes.

"I hate her as much as she hates me. I hope she wins, I need to leave her at least for a while" I felt bad lying to Ponyboy, because I had no intentions of every coming back.

"No you don't. You aren't coming back" Ponyboy retorted calmly, running his fingers through his hair. How could he tell I was lying?

"No. I'm not coming back. I can't Pony" I answered him, feeling uncomfortable.

"Darry isn't going to just let you go. Tomorrow, I'll stall him while you get away" he whispered.

"Thank you" I whispered back, and I was unable to stop myself from throwing my arms around his neck and giving him a bear hug. He gave me a shocked look, and then he smiled and hugged me back.

**The next morning**

I felt a little silly as I began to crawl out of the window with a bag tucked under my arm, I was pulling on a jacket too as I ran down the street towards the train station. Ponyboy had stalled Caroline and Darry both by getting in a fight with Darry. Ponyboy had pretended that he didn't want to go and it had kept the three of them busy all morning.

I bordered the train alone that morning, and sat in solitude and thought unhappily that Darry would be furious when he found out what had happened. I wondered for the first time what kind of hell he may give poor Ponyboy for this. I sighed, and I listened to my stomach rumbling. I hadn't bothered with anything to eat and I didn't really have enough money to get something on the train. I was so hungry I was beginning to feel sick. The man sitting across from me on the train was a bit disturbing, he kept shoving his hands in his pants while he slept and it made me want to throw up. Luckily at the first train stop he got off, and someone else boarded. This person was a delightful young man.

"Hello" He said cheerily to me and he smiled. His accent was strange, but I felt an instant liking towards him for some reason.

"Hi" I answered him with a smile.

"Where are you going?" he asked me as he pulled out a couple of sandwiches. He offered one to me.

"No thanks" I said to the sandwich but he forced it into my hand. I smiled gratefully. "I'm going to New York"

"Ah really? I'm off to Pennsylvania. My mom's sick." He informed me as he bit into his sandwich, I began eating mine too.

"I'm sorry about that" I said, chewing thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I've been living in Nevada for a long time with my dad, they split up forever ago." He kept going on and on but his chattering was in some ways comforting, I enjoyed listening to someone talk. It kept my mind off of things a bit. Finally the time came when he had to get off, by then I felt like I knew him. He gave me a quick hug when he was leaving and handed me a piece of paper with his name, phone number, and address on it. "I hope I see you again Aubrey" He grinned and gave me a wink, then marched off of the train.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and I sorely missed Ben's that was his name chatter. When I got off in New York it was like the world had crashed for a second, it brought a painful lump to my throat to be back there, and I walked with hands in my pockets down the streets that I'd once known so well. I missed Dally so badly that it brought tears to my eyes. It hurt worse than I'd expected and I wished for a moment that I hadn't come back after all. I walked past my old apartment sadly, gazing into the foggy windows of the old shops. That's when I heard the footsteps behind me and I turned around so quickly that I almost fell over. Standing there in the alley-way was Two-Bit, hands in his pockets and giving me a shy lopsided smile that didn't fit him at all.

"Couldn't let you go off by yourself" he explained as he walked up to me and hugged me. I pushed my head into his neck, sniffing his lovely scent of cigarettes and leather. "Glad to see me?" He asked after a second of hugging.

"I wish you hadn't come. I'm not going home" I told him. He looked sad when I looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here" I said, wrapping my arms around him once again. I didn't give a solitary thought to how we were going to live there, I just knew I was happy to have some company.


	10. This One Goes Out To All My Good Friends

**Author's Note: **I'm writing this on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 but I probably won't be posting it until the following Saturday unless my mom is going to be gone for a long enough period of time for me to get it up since I'm not supposed to go online because we're expecting about 25 phone calls. Ah well. I have to go online now and find out who reviewed last time so I can do my replies, because my mom is at the store. RUSH RUSH RUSH. I'm going to be in Greensboro from 8:00 a.m. tomorrow to around 11:00 p.m. Friday night.

**Contact Info: **E-mails and reviews are favorites but there are other various ways in my profile.

**Dedication: **My BOB coach, because we're going to STATE competition tomorrow. Booyah babay. Booyah and baby are 2 of my favorite words if you don't know this already. Babay was actually something that I started saying when I had the Holes obsession.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Outsiders.

**Replies: **

**xohugsndkissesox- **I know, Two-Bit is such a sweetheart. I want to hug him! Thank you muchly, and I hope to be updating regularly after Friday since BOB will be over then.

**CandieBabie30- **Well thank you very much for that. It means a lot to me that you enjoyed both this story and it's prequel.

**Horrorpop- **I figured it was probably after the band the Horrorpops! I've only heard a couple of their songs off of my "Punk Rock Holocaust" DVD and the stuff I've borrowed, but from what I've heard they are excellent. Thank you muchly.

**x fever x- **You were certainly missed I know how Author Alerts are, once mine cut off for around 2 weeks and it took me forever to make up the stuff I'd missed, people thought I wad dead and stuff. I know, that scene was inspired by Ray and Rumble Fish and another story I'm working on, on That's funny as well because it made my arm thinking about it! Don't worry, I'm a dork as well. I'm the one who records the "I Love the '80's" episodes because the Brat Pack and random Brat Pack movies are mentioned. Well I'm really glad you love the story.

**Story: **

**Aubrey's POV  
**

As soon as the reunion between the two of us was over we headed straight for a motel, we couldn't afford a hotel room, and it began to rain bucketfuls seemingly spiteful to us. We both rushed through the rain to the nearest dilapidated motel we could find. It was called the "Alley Inn" the name even made me wrinkle my nose. Don't get me wrong, I'd lived in bad, roach infested places before but the "Alley Inn" was one of the worst places I'd ever looked at and it was way too expensive for such a shabby place. We had no other choice but to pay for a room there though. At first I'd thought maybe the two of us shouldn't share a room, thinking maybe it wasn't such a good idea but Two-Bit eventually convinced me that it would save us a lot of money, and that the two of us shouldn't be alone in a motel room as shabby as that in New York city.

The carpet on the floor, which I assumed had once been white but it was now a gray-ish, brown-ish color was torn in spots and being the klutz I am I kept tripping repeatedly until finally Two-Bit laughed and said "You're going to break your neck" and he picked me up and placed me on the bookshelf. The bookshelf seemed to be the only sturdy thing in the room because it actually held my weight. The only thing was it was so high up I couldn't get down without twisting an ankle or falling through the floor.

"TWO-BIT" I screamed. He laughed heartily and stared up at me sitting amongst the spider webs on the top of the bookcase. "There are SPIDERS up here!" I shrieked, I am deathly afraid of spiders, they scare me to death.

"There are not! They aren't SPIDER webs anyway, they are COB webs" he said pointedly, scratching his chin and glancing up at me, then flouncing onto the double bed in the room. There was only one bed I realized with a weird feeling in my stomach as I surveyed the tiny, very shabby room.

"Two-Bit! Please?" I begged him. He pretended to consider it for a moment, and then he shook his head.

"You look absolutely picturesque up there" he told me with a big grin. I laughed slightly to myself, it was hard to be angry at Two-Bit but I was trying. I couldn't having someone get the best out of me. Two-Bit sat on the bed for a while until finally he lay down and pretended to go to sleep, leaving me up on the bookshelf.

"TWO-BIT" I yelled finally and he smiled, sprang up from the bed and ran to the bookcase where he stood a little further back from it and smiled gallantly up at me.

"Jump" he practically squealed like a two-year-old.

"Are you crazy?"

"Jump" he told me again with a big smile, I bit my lip, braced myself and slid off of the bookcase, thinking lividly that I would probably fall and break a bone or something but to my surprise he did catch me easily in his arms. He held me there to him for a little longer than he needed to and my heartbeat seemed to skip a beat. I smiled, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You should have chosen the Honeymooner's suite" someone was saying, as they peered into our room from a crack in the wall. I screamed, and Two-Bit screamed and the person at the hole in the wall screamed.

"What in the world?" I questioned as I scrambled out of Two-Bit's arms and ran to the hole in the wall.

"There is a hole in the wall, and you are keeping me from doing my work well" the man explained. I sighed and turned around to face Two-Bit as I rolled my eyes.

**Two-Bit's POV**

I sighed and wiped the hair out of my eyes as I stared gloomily at the pillowcase tacked to the wall over the hole where our room person was staying. I could hear Aubrey attempting to sing while she took a shower. She may have been a nice girl and everything, but she couldn't sing worth a flip. Of course, I wasn't the best singer in the world, but at least I could carry a tune. Not that it really mattered or anything because I'm not very shallow, but you couldn't help but notice. The motel was filled with loud sounds bursting through all of the cracks in the wall, and even going up through the ceiling.

For example the person in the room below us was blaring the Beatle's newest release, and I was busy holding two pillows over my ears and trying to block out the noise coming from all directions, and that includes the noise of Aubrey.

The fact that there was only one bed in the room was actually my fault, while Aubrey was muttering to herself about the mess of the motel and running her finger along the grimy front desk I told the clerk we only needed one single bed. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't thinking anything dirty, I just figured we could use the body heat. OK so you don't believe me, rightfully because I could care less about body heat.

**Aubrey's POV**

The next morning Two-Bit and I headed out into the blustery streets of New York City, and the first place we walked towards was the old alley way where Dallas and I used to hang out when our parents were being idiots which was a majority of the time we spent in New York city. Neither one of us had ever had anyone but each other while we lived there. Don't get me wrong, my mom was a great person but she was too pre-occupied with her husband to think about anything else, even a kid. She thought more about Annie, my sister, than she thought about me anyway. I guess I was lucky to have Annie for the time that I had her because she was probably the cutest, sweetest child I've ever encountered.

Annie was one of those people that you never truly find two of, she was a one-of-a-kind and I was so fiercly protective of her that I don't think any kid in our half of the city would get around her when they knew I would hear about it. I also had Dallas who was just as protective of my kid sister as I was.

Dallas also had an older brother, his name had been Sam or something like that, and he had been a real sweet guy. He was 5 years older than us though so he didn't really have too much to do with us, except walking us places so we wouldn't get jumped. Sam had been killed in a shoot-out when he was only 16. Dallas had been really sad about it, but he had never truly gotten a chance to grieve over his brother. Dallas was another one of those kids who never had a mom, but not because she left him but because she died of a fever when he was only a month or two old. I'd always felt sorry for Dallas.

As I walked through those streets with Two-Bit's arm around me I felt sorry for myself. I felt sorry for myself because I knew that I wasn't completely happy with Two-Bit there beside me. Don't get me wrong, I loved Two-Bit so much it hurt my ribs to think about it, but Dallas was the one I'd been with in New York and I wanted him there, and I knew that he'd never walk those lonely, yet busy streets with me again.

I also felt sorry for myself because I didn't have Annie anymore either. That little sweetheart had been ripped away from me just as easily as if she was a piece of paper tumbling down the gray, bustling streets. That was when I got the sudden urge to visit the place where my sister had been buried, I had only attended the funeral for a short five to ten minutes when my sister was buried because we had to leave shortly after, but I'd been there many times with Dallas. The cemetery had sort of been a hangout for the two of us, it had been our sanctuary. The cemetery was the first place that Dally and I had kissed, and the first place we'd experimented with alcohol, and the first time we'd experimented with each other.

The cemetery was also the place that Dallas's mother and brother were buried. Now that Dallas was in a cemetery back in Tulsa, Oklahoma I felt a terrible, deep pang in my chest for him. He was there when his whole family, well except his bastard of a father, was buried in New York and he was so far away. But I remembered that Dallas had changed in the few years I was away from him, and he probably wanted to be buried near Johnny like he had been than to be taken back to New York.

As Two-Bit and I climbed the solitary hill that Annie was buried on he tugged on my hand reassuringly and kissed my cheek. I felt a warm feeling travel from the tip of my ears to the tip of my toes with his kiss. Finally we reached the solitary stone angel, it was the last thing my mother had spent her money on. We'd almost starved to death on the way back to Tulsa because we had no money left over from Annie's lonely funeral. Just staring at the grave made me begin to shake and before long Two-Bit was holding me up and stroking my hair from behind me.

"Are you OK sweetie?" he asked me finally as he stared as if transfixed at the grave ahead of him. It featured a small picture of my sister, and an inscription along with her angel. There were no flowers on my sister's grave.

"I think so" I choked back waveringly, "She needs some flowers" I pointed out, as I stood there shaking.

"Wait here and I'll get some" Two-Bit said running off towards the right, and I wondered vaguely if he would steal flowers from another grave or find somewhere to pick them. I sat down with a thud in the grass and sat there thinking. It was rare to find grass in this part of New York and I touched the silky smoothness of it with my hand. Grass wasn't so rare in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I realized then how much I would miss it if I never went back. Two-Bit came back though at that moment and interrupted my thoughts. He came with a small boquet of roses and a tulip. He put the roses on Annie's grave and handed me the tulip.

"Here you go" he drawled, smiling childishly.

"They're my favorite" I said, caressing the petals lovingly and not meeting his eyes. He took my chin in his hands, rubbing his fingers through my hair lovingly, and I locked eyes with him.

"I know" he answered, kissing me ever so lightly on the lips, sending a warm shiver down my spine. I grasped his hand in mine and the two of us began to walk back towards the motel.

"We're going back to Tulsa in two days Two-Bit" I informed him as I rested my head on his shoulder. He entwined his arms around my waist and kissed me on top of my head.

"I was hoping you'd say that. New York is nice and all, but it's nowhere as nice as home" he whispered into my ear, sending yet another shiver down my spine.

**Two-Bit's POV**

When we reached the motel we found a message awaiting us at the service desk, it was short but it was to the point.

"Aubrey and Two-Bit: If the two of you don't get your butts back to Tulsa by this Monday I will make salve out of both of you. I can't believe you didn't tell me before you went. Caroline and I are outraged and we were worried. Also, Ponyboy didn't tell on you, I found out from the guy at the train station. Darry"

I groaned. "Oh God, now we've got him to put up with. It's gonna be a mess when we get back home" I said with a grimace as Aubrey and I stumbled up the stairs.

"Oh well. I wouldn't have it any other way honey, I wouldn't have it any other way." She told me with a grin and for the first time in ages she made the first move and kissed me lovingly on the lips. I grinned blissfully for the rest of the trip.

**Author's Note- **I hope this one was long enough for you. I tried to get it long enough so that you wouldn't be too upset when I don't write until Saturday or later. Hope you enjoyed this cutesy-ish chapter. Two-Bit is adorable eh? Oh and who has seen the video for "Untitled"- Simple Plan. Gorgeous just gorgeous. Sorry about that.


	11. It Was Accidentally On Purpose

**Author's Note- **I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm back. We lost our competition. Anyway, I'm back. Oh, and a tragedy happened as well! I took the outline for the story with me and in a rage because my roommate was very unsatisfactory and I was very sick (yes, I ended up sick and it was terrible) and I sort of tore and crumpled it. So now it is hardly readable and I need to re-do it.

**Contact Info- **Check the profile.

**Disclaimer- **I don't own the Outsiders.

**Dedication- **Ummmmm, nobody.

**Replies: **

**x fever x- **Haha! Finally someone who records "I Love the '80's" as well. Yay. I know, I love Two-Bit to pieces. I love "Untitled" it's one of my favorites too. But I'm a Simple Plan obsessed person so, yeah. Thank you muchly.

**xohugsndkissesox- **Don't you just want to pinch Two-Bit's cheeks? Yes, the new Simple Plan video is about drunk driving. The video is excellent. I watched the making of it today; I love Simple Plan with a passion. Thanks for the review.

**Horrorpops- **YAY! Thanks for the review.

**Story: **

"So anyway, what were you saying about cheese?" I asked Two-Bit as I stopped looking out of the window. Two-Bit cocked his head to the side, and then raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say a word about cheese" he said with a laugh "I was talking about some sleazy tramp I met a few years back" he told me, laughing again.

"Oh" I giggled as well. "Sleaze, cheese, same thing" at that moment I was suddenly and forcefully flung across the seat and hit my head on Two-Bit's head. The train had come to a sudden halt and I realized that we were back in Tulsa.

"Home again home again" Two-Bit chimed in a sing-song voice. I smiled grimly; I wasn't looking forward to seeing the look on Darry's face. He was angry enough in that message he left me and I had reason to believe he wouldn't be any cheerier today, but much to my surprise Darry wasn't at the train station at all, Ponyboy was. I didn't have time to be shocked though and I ran up to Ponyboy and hugged him so tightly that I thought his eyes might pop out of his head.

"Hey Pony!" I yelped with an over-enthusiastic grin, in all reality I wasn't feeling so splendid because I got motion sickness easily and the train ride had depleted my energy, but I was so happy that I didn't have to see Darry's cloudy face at that moment that I would've been happy to see a grizzly bear awaiting me at the station. When I was done hugging the breath out of Ponyboy and I backed away Two-Bit pretended like he was going to hug Pony too, just to see the reaction he had. Ponyboy's reaction: a wide-eyed look of horror.

"Hey Ponyboy" Two-Bit grinned, his eyes crinkling.

"Hey Two-Bit, Hi Aubbs" he directed his gaze towards me and gave me a bemused smile.

"Where's my benefactor?" I joked playfully.

"He is at the lovely home making out with his fiancée" Ponyboy dryly intoned. He didn't even crack a smile as he said this and it made both Two-Bit and I laugh hysterically. In all truth my laugh was probably more nervously excited, because if he was making out with Caroline he had a less chance of freaking out on me.

The car ride home was much more fun, except for the fact that I was still recovering from the train ride and kept getting sort of nauseous. Two-Bit gratefully offered me the front seat, but unfortunately we were going in a truck so his niceness was wasted. I sat in between Two-Bit and Ponyboy and tried to keep the sick feeling from spreading out of my stomach while Two-Bit sang to the radio, and Ponyboy tried to stop himself from laughing. Two-Bit's singing was surprisingly in key. For some reason Two-Bit seemed to me like the type of person who couldn't sing right, and was always off key, but I make accusations at the first glance of people so that's just me I guess.

Right as we were about to enter the driveway Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" came on the radio, and Two-Bit could not resist. He burst into song, and for some reason, maybe Two-Bit telling us not to move, we didn't get out of the car. We just sat in the car and laughed while he sang along. Unfortunately this stopped us from getting a head-start get-away and Darry was out of the house so quick it would make your head spin. Luckily, Two-Bit's singing mesmerized him and he stood transfixed on the bottom step of our rickety porch. Finally the song ended and Darry began to yell.

"What the heck is wrong with you two? Going off to New York without even giving me any notice? I should skin you both alive. I mean, Two-Bit you should've called me or something, or brought her home but you went right on off with you. I can't believe you two planned all of that behind my back" he almost screeched. I was surprised too, that he thought that we planned that, and that he didn't think I gave him a warning. Maybe I'm imagining it, but didn't I tell him I was going? Isn't that what we fought over? Ah well.

Two-Bit and I stood there like hurt children, and waited for him to eventually stop his infernal yelling. Ponyboy was also standing beside us with the same look on his face. Finally Caroline walked out of the door and surveyed us standing out there.

"Darry, leave them alone and let them get some sleep" she comforted. For the first time in my life I was grateful for Caroline. I went into the house and plopped down on my comfortable bed and fell asleep as Darry drove Two-Bit up to his house. I bet with a yawn as I began to fall asleep that Two-Bit's mom had been worrying her head off about him, but I think I was wrong.

**Two-Bit's POV**

I entered the house in a sort of eerie silence, and I wondered vaguely why there was no music playing, no TV blaring and no female voices fighting. Felicia and my mother normally got along fine since my mom got along with everyone, but they, for some unfathomable reason liked to argue. Like I said, my family is crazy.

I walked around the bend in the hallway and stared straight down at the door where I thought I heard voices coming from. I was right and as I opened the door I saw that my mother and sister were sitting on the bed in my mom's room. My mother was crying into her hands and Felicia had this look of scared defiance on her face. I was immediately very confused.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, innocently. My mother looked up and then jumped from the bed and ran over to hug me, she was still crying but she was trying to stop. She stroked my head softly.

"Nothing's wrong" she answered, hugging me.

"Yes, something's wrong." I accused. She sighed finally and sat back on the bed, motioning for me to do so as well. Felicia looked like she was angry too, and I wondered if she'd said something to mom to make her cry.

"Go ahead and tell her" Mom growled at Felicia. Felicia sighed and turned to face me.

"I'm pregnant" she announced, shrugging like it was no big deal. My eyes grew wide. "It's no big deal. It was a one night stand. It got out of hand" with that I couldn't take it anymore, I jumped up from the bed and practically flew out into the windy seats of Tulsa. I was running so fast that I was expecting to fall at any moment. I flew towards the Curtis household, hoping wholeheartedly that maybe they could let me stay there until I cooled off a little bit but when I got there I realized that wouldn't be possible.

"Where is Aubrey?" I yelped breathlessly as I almost knocked Darry over in the kitchen.

"She's in the bathroom for a while, I think she may be taking a shower but I don't hear water" he answered me with a shrug. At that for some reason I became even more infuriated, because I'd realized what she was doing in the bathroom, and I'd also realized that she'd lied to me before about stopping with the heroin. So in a mad rage I stalked down the hall and threw the door open to the bathroom, it had unfortunately been locked and the door came out of the frame and off of the hinges.

"WHAT IN THE HELL?" I heard from 3 different people's mouths at the same time as I stared at Aubrey, sitting patiently on the bathroom floor with a needle in her arm. At first I thought she was ignoring me but then I realized she had passed out against the toilet seat. I picked her up just as she was and carried her into the hall where Darry, Caroline and Ponyboy had gotten to by then.

"She wasn't showering" I snarled, stating the obvious as the three of them stared at me in shock, Aubrey stirred briefly in my arms and wrested her head against my chest.

"My arms hurt" she mumbled, and all of a sudden my heart melted and I carried her into her room and lay her across the bed, where I proceeded to let Caroline remove the needles from her arms.

"I'll get her some water" Darry said, wide-eyed in a shocked voice. He couldn't believe this, and neither could Ponyboy who stood there stationary staring at us like we'd grown a third head.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ponyboy asked, a sad expression breaking up his young features.

"I don't know" I answered poignantly, touching her head with the back of my hand. "I don't know"

**Author's Note- **Thank God for Dresden Dolls and Ramen noodles. They got me through this chapter.


	12. Whirlwind

Author's Note- Sorry this chapter took 4 days. I've been trying to update more regularly, but I keep forgetting or getting busy. ARGH THIS COMPUTER KEEPS MESSING UP. Sorry.

Contact Info- If you have MSN messenger I'd love to talk with you on there, my username is btdtstalked at hotmail dot com. You know how to handle it right? Get rid of the spaces and make the at an at symbol and the dot a dot. I don't bite, I swear. Sorry it seems complicated, it really isn't though. Reviews and e-mails are also very nice.

Dedication- Mrs. Nelson because I wrote more than half of this chapter in her class room. Haha, teachers shouldn't be so stupid, they should pay attention to what their students are doing, but they don't and I'm grateful for it actually.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders.

Replies:

**xohugsndkissesox- **Thank you very much for the review and the compliment. Poor poor Aubrey.

**x fever x- **Hehe, I would've flipped out if I was in that situation but Two-Bit controlled his anger, uh, kind of anyway. He has more extensive anger though as you'll see. Thank you very much.

**m-fashion- **Danke muchly. Danke means "Thanks" in German by the way. XD

**horrorpops- **I like to eat ice cream when I'm right. It makes me feel celebrated; coincidentally I barely ever eat ice cream. Thank you muchly for the review.

Story:

**Narrator's POV**

"Hey Aubby?" a soft voice pleaded from outside of the thick, wooden door. Two-Bit tip-toed into the cold room where Aubrey was lying in the middle of a bed that wasn't very large, but it looked bigger because she was so small in the middle of it. Her skin was so pale that it was almost the color of the snow-white sheets she was lying on. Her skin also looked like it was stretched too tight across her bones; her blue eyes looked like empty voids instead of volatile ocean they'd resembled before. Even her small mouth was shaped in a dainty "o" almost as if she was surprised, but the rest of her face was emotionless as she sank into the pillows. Her arms were the worst part though, tracks of tiny red dots like chicken pox specked them, and shiny pink scars crossed them in intricate patterns. Some of the wounds on her arms weren't turned into scars yet, and they were scabs instead. One of the places on her arms was actually open and bleeding, soiling the otherwise perfect white gleam of the sheets.

Two-Bit cringed a little at the sight of the blood but decided not to say anything, he'd fix that up later, he sat on the edge of the bed and it groaned almost indignantly as it sank with his weight. "Aubbs?" his voice was gentle and sad, almost scared as he thought about maybe reaching out to smooth back her hair, but he didn't. "I need to talk to you. Please?" she didn't so much as bat an eyelash as she answered him.

"No Thanks" she remarked as if he'd asked whether she wanted blue gloves for her birthday. Her voice was so icy and blank that he shivered.

"It's not about…this situation…it's about something else" he explained to her, even more pleadingly than he had been before. He desperately needed someone to comfort him at the moment. She didn't even bother answering him; she stared straight ahead like the wall ahead of her was an intensely difficult logic puzzle. He continued slowly "It's about my sister, Felicia" he whispered. She shifted a bit so that she could stare up at the unremarkable cracks in the ceiling, he took it as a sign to keep going, and that she was listening.

"When I got home last night…Felicia told me she was pregnant" he choked, and then closed his eyes to keep the tears back. What Aubrey said next was more hurtful than a stab wound to his freshly wounded heart.

"So?" she asked casually, almost maliciously, but still sounding icy. He opened his eyes, feeling as if he'd been slapped. How could she seem so indifferent?

"She's my sister" he barely answered her.

"I hope she rots in hell for what you did to me" Aubrey suddenly shrieked like a banshee, shoving Two-Bit off of the bed with all of the strength she had, she was stronger than she looked apparently because he banged his head against the nightstand on his way to the floor.

"What did I do to you?" Two-Bit almost cried as he backed up to the door cautiously, rubbing his head, it was bleeding a little but that was the least of his worries.

"You told Darry" Aubrey croaked, tears spilling from her eyes. Her energy was spent up and she slumped into the pillows. Her voice was as weak as her body with those words.

"I was just trying to help you" Two-Bit now had one solitary tear traveling rapidly down his cheek. "I only did it to help" he repeated softly.

"You didn't help" Aubrey answered, closing her eyes and resting her head on the white, unblemished pillows. Her dark reddish-brown hair contrasting angelically with the soft white. Two-Bit gulped and closed the door, when he was outside so that she couldn't see him he leaned against ht door frame, took a deep sigh and then cried for the first time in years. I guess no one truly forgets how to cry.

**Later**

It wasn't until the next day that Two-Bit allowed the poisonous fury to course through his veins. He was at Steve's house taking a shower when it took over. He'd been unable to face either Aubrey or Felicia the night before and he hoped silently that he'd never have to stay at the Randle residence again. Steve's parents fought constantly, never shutting up, but at least they'd allowed him to stay for one night, he was grateful for that.

He jumped out of the shower and dried off, getting dressed so quickly that under normal circumstances it would have made his head spin. He felt righteous and he wanted to set someone back into their place, and it was too late to help Felicia at that point. He was out for blood when he reached the Curtis house.

"DARRY?" he screamed, his voice filling the tiny house as he stuck his head in the door.

"What's wrong Two-Bit?" Caroline pondered, walking out of the kitchen and wiping her wet hands on her apron.

"Where's Darry?" he almost barked, although he was taken aback a little. He'd expected to see Darry when he first entered the house, not Caroline.

"He's getting some groceries. You need something?" she asked him, a little scared of the dancing fury in his gray eyes.

"Where's Pony?" his voice softened a bit at the tiny grain of fear he saw in her.

"With…her" Caroline answered bitterly, motioning down the hall. Her face was dark and cloudy with negative emotions about her soon-to-be cousin by marriage.

"Perfect" announced Two-Bit, feeling a little more relaxed. He strolled down the hall and opened the door. Ponyboy was sitting on the floor by the foot of the bed, with his back pressed up against the wall. Tears were spilling down his cheeks. With the back of one hand he was wiping them away, and in the other hand he was holing a picture in a sturdy wooden frame, it was of his family all together, everyone was happily smiling. Even Aubrey and her mother and younger sister were in that picture. Two-Bit could see how that would be upsetting.

Aubrey was in her same position on the bed, and when Two-Bit walked into the room she looked at him almost afraid, an expression of helplessness filling her ink-blue eyes. She looked quickly down at Ponyboy who was still crying. Two-Bit almost felt bad to be barging in the room, just because of the look on her face, even after what she'd said to him the day before. She looked so hurt. Maybe she had just been feeling the effects of withdrawal when she'd snapped at him? But he wouldn't allow himself to think that, he'd come to do something and he was intending on doing it.

"You're stopping with the drugs, and the cutting. I already found your stash and I know what you've been doing Aubrey. You're going to quit, and I'm going to help you OK?" he explained, harshly.

"OK" Aubrey answered simply, "OK" and such a large relief filled Two-Bit with those two words that he wanted to whoop. He'd truly expected her to resist, but she seemed to be a little interested, if not afraid in the idea. Ponyboy looked up from his place on the floor, and a smile was now masking his tears.

"You're going to help" Two-Bit informed him. Ponyboy nodded and the two boys rearranged themselves on the foot of Aubrey's bed to start their plans.

**Author's Note- **Wow. That chapter was a whirl wind of emotions eh?


	13. Bad Habit

**Author's Note- **Terribly sorry about the wait. We're doing or End of Grade testing at school and I don't really have any time.

**Contact Info- **Review or e-mail me, extensive ways in profile.

**Disclaimer- **I don't own the Outsiders

**Dedication- **The Dresden Dolls, and especially their song "Bad Habit" if you haven't heard it I advise you to download it immediately, it pretty much fits this story very well, or at least Aubrey's attitude.

**Replies: **

**x fever x- **I know poor Two-Bit. Aubrey was def. a bitch at the first of the chapter!

**Story: **

**Pony's POV**

I pressed my ear into the door with a sigh and shifted so I wouldn't make any noise. Caroline and Darry were having a 'serious conversation between adults' in the kitchen and Aubrey and I being the nosy people we were, weren't planning on missing it.

Aubrey was standing behind me, trying to listen in as well as I was, but I had gotten the good place by the door and I could hear every word they were saying. I could tell that Aubrey was feeling a little better than she had been a few days ago. In fact, Two-Bit or "the Slave Driver" as we'd playfully renamed him, had just left our house. It was the first time he was going home after his sister's announcement.

His mother had been very worried, calling every day 3 or 4 times to ask if we'd seen him when he wouldn't come home. Of course we lied to her and said we hadn't, even though he was staying on our couch every single night of that. I felt bad lying to his mother but Two-Bit was my buddy; I didn't blame him for being pissed off.

Aubrey coughed, and we both froze, staring wide-eyed at the door but nothing happened, Caroline and Darry were too wrapped up in their conversation to listen to the sounds coming from the other side of the door, and from what I was hearing they were talking about their wedding. 'This may get interesting' I thought to myself.

"I heard on the News today that the war isn't ending any time soon. I don't want to have to wait an amount of years until Soda comes back Darry. I want to get married! I love you" Caroline was murmuring, sounding bitchy. A chill went down my spine, why didn't she want Soda at the wedding?

"I know Caroline, but Sodapop is my brother, and I want him to be there when I get married." Darry argued, I could almost picture him rubbing his hair and sighing.

"Darry, you have to face the facts. Sodapop could stay gone for YEARS, and that's if he doesn't get killed over there. I'm sorry, but it could happen. We're not getting any younger; I want to start a family. We have to get Ponyboy out of school, and get Aubrey out of this house" Caroline was telling him, her voice rising. I felt Aubrey tense up beside me, and she was balling her fists up. Since she'd gotten clean she'd had her old temper back, and I was afraid of what she might do if Caroline didn't shut up.

"I don't know Caroline, maybe you're right but it hurts that I'm not going to have my brother there at my wedding. And on the Aubrey matter, she's my cousin and I love her and as long as she needs somewhere to stay my home is open to her." Darry retorted, his voice almost a low growl.

"We could have kids growing up in a house that drugs addict, who tries to commit suicide every other day and drinks like a fish!" Caroline shouted, ignoring what he'd said about Sodapop.

"First of all fishes don't drink" Aubrey screeched, moving past me and slamming open the kitchen door. I'd known she was going to freak out, but I'd been hoping she would hold it together until after we got away from the kitchen door. "They swim in water, but they don't drink it. Second of all I'm going through therapy and all kinds of shit to get rid of this addiction. Third, I've never tried to commit suicide; I cut for the rush it gives me. Last but not least, I'm packing my shit and getting out of this hell hole like I should've done while I was in New York you self absorbed twig of a bitch" Aubrey was screaming so hard the veins in her neck were popping out, her blue eyes were wild as she almost pushed me down in the doorway, running out of the house and slamming the door so hard that pictures fell off of the wall and a window cracked beside the door. The three of us all took deep, collective breaths.

Darry sighed so loud that his chest heaved, and I could almost see his ribs through his shirt. I looked over at him sullenly, wondering what he was going to do to fix this mess.

"Why do you have to be such a bitch to her Caroline? I know you don't like her, and she doesn't like you either, but couldn't you try to at least be nice to her for my sake?" Darry begged, not making a move to chase after Aubrey at all, figuring probably that she would have to come back and get her things anyway.

"She's the bitch" Caroline answered him stubbornly, like a bull. "We're getting married this summer then Darry?" she asked, moving towards the kitchen door. Darry sighed and slumped into a chair, putting his head in his hands. He looked so old in that movement that my eyes went a little wide with shock. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I guess so" he answered her, putting his head on the table with a bang. "If you want to" Caroline nodded at his answer and hurried out through the door but I called out to her.

"Caroline?" I asked, she stuck her head back around the door frame.

"What Ponyboy?" she annoyingly tsked in my direction.

"Where are you going?" I questioned quietly, hoping she wasn't doing what I thought she was.

"I'm packing Aubrey's things, she said she was leaving" And with that she let the door slam shut, and her footsteps could be heard going down the hall.

"You won't let her?" I grilled Darry, pushing on his shoulder to make sure he was paying attention to me.

"I don't know. Should I?" he asked me, sounding sad.

"No! Aubrey could start with the drugs again, get killed on the streets. Dammit Darry, what is your fixation with Caroline? Why do you like her so much? Huh?" I pondered out loud.

"She's a lot nicer than she acts, she just doesn't want to get attached to Aubrey, she's afraid she'll get attached and then Aubrey will die. She sees things to literally, and she's afraid of what she sees" Darry explained, but it didn't help soothe my ruffled feathers and I stormed out of the house, pulling a crushed pack of cigarettes from my pockets to take a nice smoke on the porch.

"Aubrey will come back" Darry called out to me, and I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets. I knew he was right, she never stayed away long.

**Author's Note- **Hope the chapter is enough to get you by until the next one. I'm sorry it wasn't that great, I'm not feeling so well and I used all my brain cells thinking up memories from our lower years in school for our class history.


	14. It's A Nice Day For A White Wedding

**Author's Notes- **I'm back with another update because I dunno, I just liked the last chapter a lot. It made me feel…happy. Even though it wasn't really a happy chapter.

**Contact Info- **In the profile lovelies. Yes, I think you are all lovely. Yes, you.

**Disclaimer- **Is it necessary for me to keep typing this in every chapter? Anyway, I don't own the Outsiders.

**Dedication- **The Letterkills because they are an awesome band. Yes they are, they cheer me up.

**Replies: **

**horrorpop- **I love "Scars" it's an awesome song! Ah, that's a good point I just realized that! Toldja I was missing Dally! Thank you for the review .

**xohugsndkissesox- **I know, Aubrey entertains me. Thank you for the review.

**esawian- **Haha, I know. I hate Caroline too! Thanks for the review.

**x fever x- **I think I've just been inspired to write a spoof of this story. Haha. Thank you very much. I love Two-Bit.

**Story: **

**Aubrey's POV**

"I swear to god, I never want to even see a dress again for the rest of my life" I grumbled, pulling on the itchy collar of my too-small, too-itchy, and too-pink dress.

"You look good in it though" Two-Bit insisted as he watched me adjust the waist of it, the dress was horrendous in my opinion and it was COVERED in lace. I wanted to scream.

"Thanks, but you're a terrible liar" I said with a small smile twitching in the corner of my lips. He winked at me.

"Under the granny lace though, you do look a lot better" he commented, eyeing me carefully. I grinned at him, thought about throwing my arms around his neck, and then realized if I did then my way-small dress would probably fall apart at the seams. I had to admit, I looked much better than I had a couple of months ago. It was now the middle of the summer, and the war was still not over. Darry had easily managed to convince me to stay in Tulsa. It hadn't been difficult really. He just offered me a bit of money.

My arms and legs were pretty tan now; I'd gotten out of the house a bit and gone out into the sun. My hair had begun to return to its normally shiny state. I'd also put on a little bit of weight (much to my horror at first, but now I was beginning to like it a bit better).

Two-Bit and I were standing in front of the mirror at the small clothing store in town. The sales clerk was eyeing us strangely and Caroline was looking in through the window, pretending like she didn't care what we were talking about. She had, of course, picked out the dress. I was getting ready for her wedding and she insisted I looked good for the guests, like they'd never seen me looking bad before or something. The next day was going to be Darry and Caroline's wedding and it was driving me crazy. I already hated the idea of Caroline actually being intertwined in our lives more than she already was.

Two-Bit's sister was now 7 months pregnant, and she was absolutely hating her pregnancy. It was expected that her boyfriend would leave her, and he had, but she'd been taking the news a lot better than expected actually. Two-Bit had also come to terms with his sister's problem, and he'd given up being mad at her constantly.

The two of us had put our relationship on hold as I tried to get off of drugs, and I'd only been completely clean for 2 months actually, but I was really trying and Two-Bit and I had begun to develop our relationship barely 2 weeks before. I was glad to have him at the moment as I tugged on the unbearably uncomfortable lace.

"You picked the ugliest dress in the whole store" I bitterly told Caroline as she peered in through the window. She rolled her eyes.

"I think it makes you look mature" she eyed me coolly, and almost snobbishly.

"How nice of you to say so. I don't buy it though, you just want me to be horribly uncomfortable" I retorted. She sighed deeply, and I knew that it was what she was making me try the dress on for. Two-Bit laughed gently and put one hand on each of my shoulders. He pulled my hair back to display my neck a little in the mirror. I inspected myself closely.

"Hey! Buy the dress! Hurry we gotta go" Darry was suddenly calling from outside of the store.

**Next Day**

"Oh god! I'm so nervous!" Caroline was practically shouting into the phone at her best friend as she began to get ready for the wedding. I wondered dully why she hadn't gone to her parent's house to get ready for the wedding. 'Just to annoy me' I concluded, rolling back over. I still hadn't managed to pull myself from the bed. "AUBREY GET UP" she screeched into my room. I screamed right back at her, but I'm not sure what I said because I was so sleepy I couldn't think straight. I doubt it was very nice though.

I pulled my lacy dress on sullenly, and headed into the kitchen where Caroline was sitting half-dressed at the table and chatting away on the phone. Darry and Ponyboy had already gone with Two-Bit to the church to finish setting it up for the wedding, and Caroline and I were supposed to come right before it.

"Yes, Aubrey looks much better now that she has some nice clothes on" Caroline was telling her equally snobby friend.

"What's wrong with the clothes I normally wear?" I questioned dully, popping a piece of toast in my mouth.

"They are ratty" she said with a sigh, rolling her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"They are Soda's" I answered her.

"Don't start with the Soda stuff again OK. I'm sorry he couldn't be here, but his job can't interfere with our wedding" She angrily snarled, hanging up the phone in the process.

"It doesn't matter! You don't care about Darry anyway. He doesn't have any money! Why don't you leave us alone? You can leave and I'll make up some lie about how you needed to do something in California" I begged her, knowing she wouldn't leave.

"I love Darry, and I'm sure you would lie. You're a delinquent." She answered me angrily, heading out towards the car. I pulled my shoes on slowly and chewed on my toast, every 3 minutes she would beep the horn and finally she began to yell.

"WE'RE GONNA BE LATE" She screeched. "I'll LEAVE YOU" she yelled again.

"See if I care" I growled. The ride there was filled with so much tension that I twitched a bit in my seat, and when we pulled up to the church I immediately jumped out of the car and found a seat inside, everyone else was already there and by the looks of it Caroline had invited the whole town to the wedding. I found a seat beside Two-Bit and rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. Shortly after the wedding started.

When the priest asked for any objections to the marriage Two-Bit's hand tightened on my wrist, like he was sure I was going to stand up and scream my objections. Unfortunately for him, holding onto me wasn't going to do. I'd already made up my mind to scream out an objection. "I OBJECT" I yelled, and Two-Bit let go of my arm, slumping down in his seat like he was afraid to be seen with me.

"Darry can't marry her. She'll ruin his life" I venomously spat, the priest looked mildly surprised and Darry and Caroline both looked like they wanted to come into the pew and kill me right there, but Caroline on a much larger scale.

But the reception was literally when I lost my mind. Caroline was feeding Darry a piece of cake and I was standing sullenly in between Ponyboy and Two-Bit when she finished with the cake and gave us a glance. "There's THAT girl. She's getting out of my house soon" she said rolling her eyes in my direction. Her friends all giggled and Darry sighed, and turned a deep red color. I couldn't control myself (That's my story and I'm sticking to it) as I practically flung myself across the table at her, I tried to choke her but unsuccessfully fell a bit short and ended up ripping the hem of her dress. Caroline screamed, and immediately Darry pulled me off of Caroline and as soon as he loosened his grip a fraction I took off, running out of the church doors like the devil himself were on my heels. I realized by the time I got down the street that the only person following me was Two-Bit and I stopped, and began to walk very slowly so he could catch up.

"What got INTO you?" he asked, and I realized he was trying hard not to laugh by the sparkle in his eye.

"The devil made me do it" I innocently giggled. He laughed loudly and hugged me tightly, under the dusky sky. I smiled at him a little.

"I can't stand her" he confided with a slight smile as we began to walk again, towards Two-Bit's house, his family was at the "funeral" as I'd named it, so the house was empty.

"I can't either" I retorted, slowly kicking a rock as I focused on my feet on the way down the sidewalk.

"Obviously" his eyes twinkled brightly and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then all of a sudden I realized what had just happened again and my insides were filled with a burning hot fury.

"I wish she would fall down a deep well and then she would break every bone in her body and..." I had been prepared to go on and on and on for the rest of my life if possible but he cut me off.

"Chill out" he warned me, looking at me from the corner of his eye. But by the time we had gotten to the house I was so angry I could feel the venom coursing through my veins. We walked into the living room and he switched on a light, I plopped myself onto the couch and grabbed a pillow. I shoved the pillow over my face and screamed with all I was worth, not stopping until my throat was so raw that it hurt to breathe, and I was out of air. Two-Bit was staring at me with another tiny smile beginning at the corners of his mouth. He sat down beside me, wrapping an arm around me and getting me to rest my head on his shoulder. I played with the sleeve of his jacket with my fingers. Before I knew it the two of us were kissing, and Two-Bit was pulling me down the hall and into his bedroom. As the door closed I felt myself loosen up and I knew there was no stopping what was going to happen.


	15. Don't Wait, Just Tell Me All About It

Author's Note- You can actually thank xohugsndkissesox for this chapter. I actually completely forgot about this story as the lazy days of summer rolled about. But here I am, again, updating.

Contact Info- Check out the profile.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders. Why, now that I've got that off my chest…

Dedication- xohugsndkissesox, because I wouldn't have ever updated if she hadn't reminded me this existed. I guess I'm a bit forgetful eh?

Replies:

**x fever x- **-wink wink- Frisky! Haha, yeah, I want Dally to strike her down.

**xohugsndkissesox- **Haha, don't worry. I'm not nice either. I like rants!

**Story: **

Aubrey's POV

I woke up with a jolt, and realized why suddenly. I was not clothed, at all. I pulled on my clothes, that just so happened to be strewn around the room. But then when I realized that I'd gone in wearing that horrid dress, I found a pair of Two-Bit's clothes instead and put them on.

The events of the night weren't all that clear to me, they never were after I went into rages like that, but I could give a good guess at what had happened by the looks of it. Two-Bit was still asleep, and showing no signs of moving at all. I felt a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach, what had just happened last night shouldn't have happened at all.

I sighed and hugged my knees to my chest, sitting down at the foot of his bed. I didn't think it was going to work between Two-Bit and I. No matter how much I was wishing that it would. True, I loved Two-Bit very much, and wanted to be with him. But as they say, sometimes love isn't enough. I was missing something when I was with Two-Bit, something that I'd only had when I was with…Dally.

And I knew how ridiculous it was to still think about Dally, after he'd been dead for so long and there was no way he was coming back, but I couldn't help it. I truly missed the way his arms fit around my shoulders just perfectly, the way he looked at me that just made me feel warm to the tips of my toes. I got that from Two-Bit sometimes, but there was just _something _missing whenever I was around him. I knew what Soda would tell me "Because you won't let go of Dally" but I didn't know if he was entirely right or not. Plus, it hurt to think about Soda and his advice, however good it may have been.

I sat at the foot of the bed, by myself and cried for just a couple of minutes thinking about how it could have been, and I knew there was no way Two-Bit and I were ever going to work out. Because in his own strange way Two-Bit did remind me of Dallas, and that was the last thing I needed in my life.

But somehow, no matter how many times I repeated to myself that I couldn't lead Two-Bit on any longer, especially after what had happened the night before, I didn't want to let him go. To tell you the truth, Two-Bit was the last thing I felt like I had. I felt like my whole family was unraveling around me, and all of my friends were dead or leaving me behind, and Two-Bit had been there for me. I knew it would break my heart as much as it would break his and I just couldn't take it any more.

When Two-Bit woke up I told him that he needed to get dressed so we could take a walk. He eagerly got ready, and we walked out hand in hand, with one of his arms around my waist. When we got to the end of the street I stopped, put my hands on his shoulders and said "Two-Bit…I miss Dally so much", he turned his head and looked away.

"I miss him two Aubby" he whispered, patting my back awkwardly.

"You don't understand. I was in love with Dally, Two-Bit" I pleaded with him, hoping he could understand.

"I know you were baby." He answered me.

"I'm still in love with him"

"He's dead" his eyes widened, like he couldn't believe I didn't get that being dead was final.

"I know. That's the problem. Two-Bit, I can't be with you until I'm over him. I just can't, and I don't think I'm ever going to be over him. I need someone who hasn't been through so much with me Two-Bit, someone who doesn't bring back all of the pain every time I look at them. That person isn't you" I told him, my heart breaking with every syllable. He looked at me like he didn't understand.

"I love you" he finally told me, touching my hair, his eyes meeting mine. I looked away quickly.

"I love you too. But we can't. OK? Please don't make this harder Two-Bit" I begged him. He shook his head.

"I can't believe you. I finally found someone that I thought I could trust. Someone who was fun to be around, and I was willing to wait for you even when you were so messed up. This is what I get huh?" he asked me. Tears popped into my eyes. I couldn't take it anymore, and I ran off. He just stood there, not making a move to follow me.

When I reached the house I found that only Ponyboy was there. Darry and the Wicked Witch had gone off on their very short Honeymoon, and I headed to my room immediately.

Author's Note- Sorry it's so short. I'm lacking inspiration and it's very late at night…early in the morning, whatever.


	16. Snail Mail

**Author's Note-** So, none of you will ever realize how truly sorry I am to keep you waiting for a over _three months._ Everything has been insane for me lately. I've had plenty of things to keep me busy: Hurricane Ophelia, moving out of our house, High School, and some family problems. But I'm back now. I just bought the Outsiders 2 Disc and it is absolutely amazing. Those of you who don't have it, go get it now.

**xohugsndkissesox- **That review made me want to burst into song, have you ever heard the "Special" song? Yeah, it's Barney.

**x fever x- **Poor Two-Bit. I'm so mean!

**TWbasketcase- **I want to thank you _very_ much for your review. I'm very glad you liked the story so much. I'm quite fond of Aubrey  Aw, sorry to keep you waiting, and making you cry.

**m-fashion- **I know how that is! I had to move out of my house too, it's very time consuming. Wouldn't want you to do something un-lady-like! Sorry for lack of updates.

**Dedication- **Francis Ford Coppola for being _amazing._

**Disclaimer- **I don't own the Outsiders, I do own Aubrey.

**Contact Info- **Comment! Comment! Comment! Also, e-mails are very appreciated. They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I'm a big fan of mail.

**The Story- **

**Darry's POV**

The house was eerily silent, but it had been like that since I'd gotten home from my Honeymoon. Two-Bit hadn't been over at all, Ponyboy had been spending all of his time with Cathy, and Aubrey was always locked up in her room.

I shuffled through the mail that was on the kitchen table morosely as I began to eat a bologna sandwich. I noticed that there was a letter from Soda on the top, and with a happy jolt I began to open it, it was addressed to all of us.

Dear Aubrey, Darry, and Ponyboy,

I'm really really tired right now. Steve and I just finished playing cards. Poker isn't as fun out here, as it is at home. We don't really get much time for cards anyway. I wish I was sleeping, but we're taking shifts right now and it's my turn to be awake. I wish I had some chocolate cake right now.

Anyway, I'm really just writing to see how you guys are. I like getting letters from you guys, even though I don't ever get to send big ones to you like you send me. I've met a lot of guys out here that are tuff, but none of them are half as tuff as you guys. I miss you all a lot.

Darry, I'm really glad that you guys got married. I'm sorry I couldn't make it there, but I don't blame you for going ahead with it and not waiting for me. I guess I can just look at pictures when I get back home, and hear every detail from you guys. I've heard quite a few different versions of it though, from each of you.

Aubrey, I don't understand how you can love someone so much and then just blow them off like that. I'm trying really hard to get it but I just don't, I'm sorry. When I get home, maybe it'll be easier for you to explain it to me in person. Maybe you should try talking to Two-Bit again or something.

Ponyboy, I'm glad you're doing good in school again. I'm really proud of you. I bet Darry's proud too. I'm expecting you to be 8 feet tall by the time I get home too! Cathy sounds as great as ever, good luck with her.

I have to go, but I'll write again as soon as I can.

Love,

Sodapop

I smiled to myself, getting letters from Soda always put me in a great mood, it cheered me up considerably every time I got a letter from. I really missed him so much, and I felt terrible for not waiting for him to come home to get married.

I began to shuffle through the bills again, before I saw a letter that said "War Department" on the front of it. I wasn't worried, I'd just gotten a letter from Soda anyway. I opened it slowly though, as if something might jump out at me from the envelope.

To the Family of Sodapop Curtis,

I am sad to inform you of the death of Sodapop P. Curtis. I, as his commanding officer knew him very well throughout the course of his military career. I fought with him in a lot of battles. Last week, there was an attack on the campsite of our platoon. We lost 16 men. Sodapop fought bravely throughout the whole battle, but was wounded in the throat. He died 6 hours later of blood loss.

The whole platoon is scarred by the loss of such a wonderful soldier, and person. Sodapop cheered many of us up on horrible days hiking through fields of grass that cuts into you, and full of flies. He was always optimistic, and never lost his charm.

Soda received a _Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry _for his amazing fight. None of his platoon will ever forget him. I also want to apologize for the lack of an official letter. I hope you don't mind, but I asked if I could write this one myself because I knew Soda. I don't really have a way with words.

A few of the other guys wanted to include their signatures, as condolences, the list is on the second page of this letter.

With Regret,

Jason A. Plumb

I couldn't breathe. This was not happening, it was not. I had read a letter from Soda himself no more than 3 minutes before, and now this? It was not happening. It was a cruel joke, I would write to Jason A. Plumb and tell him I didn't appreciate him sending this fake letter to me. It was a horrible thing to do. Sodapop was not dead. There was no way he was dead, Sodapop was so very much alive. It was impossible for him to die. He said in his letter that when he came home he would talk to me about my wedding. When he came home, there was no way he wasn't going through on his promise.

Author's Note- -lip tremble-


	17. Flying Solo

Author's Note- Sorry it took me TWO months for this update, I'm working on a play currently, and being **paid **to write stories for other people.

xfeverx- Thank you. One of my best friends lives in Florida, and I live in North Carolina so every time there is a hurricane I'm entitled to get super worried, it sucks. I like the new version of the DVD better too, but I have to admit that the new soundtrack seems kind of out of place in some of the scenes. I know, I beat myself up about killing Soda for a while, but that was the story I had in my head since before I started the first story, so I had to go through with it. Thanks very much.

xohugsndkissesox- Thank you. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. Poor Soda.

m-fashion- -hands you a tissue- I'm sorry. Haha, I'm glad I saved you from the unladylike conduct. I'm glad you got cheered up, and thank you.

TWbasketcase- I'm a huge angst fan, and angst writer too. (Although I'm also a huge ROMANCE writer, which is a hard habit to break). Exactly! You hit the nail on the head, I'd read somewhere about S.E. Hinton saying that Soda was supposed to die in 'Nam, which is what set the basis for the first story and this one. It's amazing how one little sentence can inspire two stories. Thank you very much, and I'm sorry it took me so long to write again.

Dedicaton- Kristin. Thank you so much for the insight and talking about writing with me for a while.

Contact Info- REVIEWS+ e-mails, AIM and MSN are great ways too. Ask me in a review and I'll give you my e-mail address, AIM and MSN.

**Aubrey's POV**

"I'm home Darry" I screeched into the living room, throwing the door open. Darry was on the couch with his arm across his eyes. "Are you OK?" I asked, lowering my voice quite a few notches. That's when I noticed the open letter from Soda on the coffee table. "Soda wrote? Yay." I said, grabbing it up. Darry hadn't moved until that moment, he jumped off of the couch and grabbed the wrist of the hand I was holding the letter in.

"Stop" he growled. I looked at him, wide-eyed.

"What is your problem today?" I asked gruffly, shaking him off of me and dropping the letter.

"Don't touch that letter. Don't you dare read it" and with that he burst into tears. I stared at him, shocked and without even thinking about it my anger at his outburst faded and I felt extremely sorry for him. I wrapped my arms around him tightly.

"You miss him as much as I do, don't you Darry?" I asked softly, not expecting him to answer. He didn't, he just sobbed harder into my shoulder. I rubbed his hair gently.

"He's not coming back" he sobbed.

"Shhhh, yes he is. Yes he will, it just seems like he's been gone forever, he'll be home before we know it" I whispered in a soothing voice, not believing myself even as I said it that he would be back 'before we knew it'. Darry was crying harder. I hadn't seen him since Ponyboy and I returned from Windrixville.

"You don't know. You don't know." and with that he reached in his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. I stared at him horrified and let go of him, sitting back on my heels and opening the letter. I choked on a lump in my throat as tears filled my eyes.

I could not believe it. Could not, wasn't going to. No. No way. It wasn't going to happen to me, I could not lose Soda on top of everything else I'd lost. Everything I loved was slipping through my grasp like sand through an hour glass. I would not believe that Soda was gone, Soda was so very alive, his smile let you know he was invincible. Nope, definitely was not true.

I had never been good at fooling myself. Tears trickled down my cheeks, sticking my lashes together. Darry wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders and I wrapped my now, very weak ones around him. We sat like that for a long time, crying on each other.

------------------------

"We're lucky to have even gotten his body" Caroline spread her cheery disposition throughout the tense truck. Ponyboy, Darry and I all sat in silence, stony-faced and solemn while she was driving towards the church. It was the same church that he, Two-Bit, Steve, Pony and Johnny had once gone to together, the same church that Carolina and Darry had been married in so shortly before. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

I saw before my eyes like it was a slideshow, all of them sitting in the pews of that church. As I imagined it, Johnny slowly faded out of the picture in my head, followed by Soda. Both Two-Bit and Steve got very faint, and Ponyboy seemed to shrink. I fought back tears, and leaned my head on the window of the truck. It was only fitting that it was raining that day, and the windows were so foggy I could barely see out of them. Caroline interrupted my thoughts once again.

"I read that most of the boys who get killed over there never get their bodies sent back home. Most people don't have funerals to give closure to their loved ones."

"Body or not, there's never going to be closure on this" Ponyboy whispered, so quietly we could barely hear him. He had expressed my feelings exactly. Caroline just sighed and pulled into the church parking lot. It was full, there was only one parking space open and that had been left for us in particular.

The four of us got out of the truck, and only Carolina minded the rain. Pony and Darry walked close to each other as if protecting each other from the feelings they were experiencing. I'd always felt alone except when Soda was by my side, and I'd hardly ever wished for someone to lean on. As I walked into that church I was alone, and so very vulnerable.

There were so many people, that the floor was completely blocked out by shiny black shoes. People were girls crying left and right, and stony faced men. All of them hugging Pony and Darry and giving them their condolences. Nobody approached me, everyone seemed to ignore me. I walked over to a corner with an empty couch, and sank into it, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead against the wall. "Aubrey?" someone asked. I didn't answer. I knew the voice, it was Two-Bit. "I'll leave you alone then" he whispered sadly. I opened my eyes as he turned his back on me. It hurt too much.

"No. Please. Stay with me. Please." I begged him. He sank onto the couch and stroked my hairas I put my head on his shoulder. It was then that I realized, I had never been alone, never ever been alone while I was in Oklahoma. Two-Bit had always been on my side, no matter what. I clutched him so tightly that I thought my fingernails would puncture his black suit.

-----------------

"Thank you for staying with me today" I whispered. Two-Bit was sitting beside me on the other side of the porch, leaning up against the the rails.

"You looked like you needed someone to be with you more than Darry and Pony," he murmured. That statement hurt, as if he wouldn't have been with me at all if Darry or Pony had seemed to need him more. "I don't know anybody who won't miss him, Aubrey. He was one of the best people I've ever known." he said hoarsely. I nodded, tears starting to fill my eyes again.

'This is why I have to be alone. I can not depend on someone. Ever.' that made up my mind. While I was in Oklahoma I would constantly have Two-Bit's support, and as nice as it was, I couldn't take that from him. I had to be alone, that's how I had always operated best, even if it meant being lonely for the rest of my life.

Author's Note- There are is only one more chapter left+ an epilogue.


	18. Pretty Girl

Dedication: Boredom, the only reason I remembered to do this.

Contact Info: MSN & e-mail are great, reviews & PMs are even better.

horrorpop – Unfortunately the hotties are the ones that have to die for the sake of the story. It makes me sad.

TWbasketcase – Thank you very much. Yes, that's one of the lines that you write and you're like; "Well, that actually worked". I feel the same way, and I think Vietnam was a way for Soda to go out with flare, I can't imagine him dying from natural causes or anything. Thank you again.

HPfreakout – I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 4 so much. I'm sorry I made you cry. Haha, that's actually a good idea. We could make it look like an accident. Teehee. I call Cho, "Cho the ho".

Beauty in Breakdown – I'm very glad you enjoyed it, and I'm glad you reviewed as well. Nope, I've never written anything for Alias. I haven't watched that show in a good long while either. Thank you very much for the review.

I walked through the rusted gates with a long sigh. I shoved my hands deep into my pockets in an attempt to block off the cold. I had brought nothing with me into the bare graveyard, not even as much as a coat or a pack of Camels. I felt lonely, but I figured it as better if I didn't have any distractions.

The jeans I was wearing were too big, and falling apart at the seams. They'd belonged to Ponyboy before me. I spent a few moments recalling when Ponyboy had been smaller than me. He'd grown up so much since I last tried to wear his pants, and I had lost any weight that had been on my bones then. In fact, I'd been the same size as Sodapop then, Soda, his name made the blood pound in my ears. I swallowed hard. It was still way too fresh in my mind for me to keep myself from getting emotional when I thought of him.

By the time I'd thought over all of that I'd reached the graves, they were sad excuses for graves really. No cement covered the soft earth of Dally's. There would have been no marker at all that he was the one buried there, if it wasn't for the piece of wood with his name and birth and death dates carved in it. Darry had done that on Soda's request, I remembered. I found myself close to tears again, but I wasn't sure if it was because thinking of Soda hurt, or if it was Dally's death and lack of care of his "grave" that was making me so upset.

I felt silly standing there in that empty graveyard, wearing summer clothes and freezing to death, trying to hold back my tears. Really, it was still summer. The weather was chilly anyway. It reminded me of that night Dally and I had walked to the park and talked about our past, it seemed like forever ago as I stared at his weathered plank of wood.

I looked around cautiously, and to my surprise the graveyard wasn't as empty as I'd thought it was. There was a dark headed boy by another grave a few yards away from me. He hadn't seen me, I was pretty sure. He was caught up at staring at whomever's grave he was beside. I knew him somehow, but I couldn't remember his name, Byron or Bryon or something. He was close to legend in Tulsa because of his "brother" Mark, plus he was Ponyboy's girl Cathy's ex.

I ignored him, telling myself he couldn't see or hear me from that far away anyway. I looked at the grave for a long while. Finally I knelt down on the soft spongy dirt. "So Dallas—" I started. I choked on my words. "I wanted to, uh, let you know that you were, um, right" I stared at my hands for a moment, "about some things." I stopped again, this time trying to hold back tears. Who knew this was going to be so hard?

It made me feel extremely silly trying to talk to Dallas after it was already too late, but I knew I had to do it if I ever wanted to rest. Dallas had been hard to talk to in life, but I found it even harder to talk to him in death. I couldn't control myself any longer at that point, and I started to sob hysterically. I fell into a prayer-like stance on the dirt. "You jerk" I muttered softly, but bitterly in between sobs.

"All I needed was for you to love me, but you couldn't even do that! All you cared about was your stupid reputation." I spat, and then I cried harder if possible, tears rushing to stain the dark earth, making it even darker. Finally I managed to gain control of myself again. "I'm sorry" I sobbed, "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you that you were right, you were right about how you didn't love me because," I stopped to have a long shaky breath, "because, I sort of feel like that about Two-Bit. It's not my reputation that I'm worried about thought, it's just that I know it can't work out for us." I hugged myself tightly, pulling my knees up to my chin.

I stayed like that for a long time before I finally pulled myself to my feet. "I love him and I still can't make it work" I whispered finally before pulling myself away, through the rusty gates again and into the street. I stared half-heartedly at the grass stains on my knees. If I'd had it back I would've visited Johnny too, but I was much too distressed at the time to even think about going back into that desolate place.

When I finally got back to the house I was thinking a little clearer. Things were absolutely silent as though they'd all been waiting for me to get home. I hadn't really been allowed in a room by myself at all since the drug incidents and everything, so Cathy was sat in the living room with me, watching me moodily as I watched the television, trying not to let her see how upset I was.

That's when I made up my mind that I couldn't stay in that place, and be depressed for the rest of my life. I just couldn't do it. I stood up immediately on having this thought, and walked into my room. Cathy didn't move, but Ponyboy followed me into my room. He stood in the doorway and watched me putting things in my bag. He didn't ask me what I was doing, where I was going, or even if he could go, he just looked at me silently, a hauntingly sad look in his eyes, the same look I knew was in my eyes too.

I finished packing my bags silently and then crossed the room, and just wrapped my arms around him, pulling him to me closely and crying a little onto his hair. I was surprised to realize that he was almost taller than me and I smiled a little, brushing his hair out of his eyes as I stood back. "I'm going, away Pony" I choked out. He nodded, I was right, he'd known already. "I can't take you with me." He nodded again, sadly this time, and he avoided my eyes. I lifted his chin up so he had no choice but to look at me. "I'll see you again Ponyboy, I will" and I hugged him.

The following day I was on my way out of Tulsa, on the earliest train I could get. I wasn't sure where I was going to end up, but sure I was going somewhere far away.

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it took so long, this has been written for well over a year actually, I just really never got around to uploading it. There is still an epilogue coming up so please be patient and wait for that. Thank you for everyone who reviewed throughout both of the stories, it is very much appreciated.


	19. Epilogue

Author's Notes:

HPfreakout – Cho the Ho is an awesome name. Thank you.

m-fashion – I'm with you on the 'yay' part! Thank you.

x fever x – Thank you! Updating makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Contact Info: REVIEW or PM or e-mail or MSN or something.

Dedication: Everyone.

**Story**

The laughter in her eyes, the way she moved her hands when she talked, the way her mouth twitched when nobody was paying attention to her…it all fit…it all seemed so familiar. Keith Matthews was trying to make a decision on who he knew the girl across the room from. He was 36 years old, and he'd been through two failed marriages and fathered one child from his second wife and one from his first wife. He saw in himself nothing desirable left, every thing worth loving in him had been dried up, and he was too old for love yet this girl seemed to spark his interest, he found himself fascinated so he crossed the room to speak to her. A big step for him, he'd grown very shy in his later years.

He tapped the woman on the shoulder and she turned around to face him, leaving the man she had been talking to with an angry look on his face. She was very lovely, wearing a long black dress. She smiled delightfully and then stopped smiling abruptly, looking at him closely. After a moment he realized she was familiar for a reason. He looked down at her arms, full of very faded scars.

"Aubrey?" he asked his voice faint. Her eyes widened and she reached out impulsively and touched his cheek as if making sure he was real.

"Two-Bit?" she asked, incredulously. His smile widened greatly. It was definitely Aubrey, if she knew who he was. He was delighted to see her, and thought about possibly wrapping his arms around her but then he remembered they hadn't seen each other in years and it probably wasn't appropriate for a formal event. He was very surprised when she threw herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck very tightly and he felt tears running into his neck from her eyes. He cradled her, in the middle of the enormous ball room but nobody seemed to notice as they were all caught up in themselves.

Steve returned from Vietnam, and not in a body bag. He lost his right leg and was sent home with a purple heart. He became even more bitter and angry after the incident, but in a fairy tale romance a young girl named Elizabeth Crown from Montana opened up his heart and taught him to trust again. The two of them were married in 1975, and remained so until his death in 1993 from complications of his leg, it was 18 years of pure bliss for both of them. She died two years later, and the only way anyone could describe it was purely heartbreak. They had one child, Patrick Curtis Randle born in 1976. He became a horse jockey and died in 1998, his last words? "That was fun."

Darry's relationship with Caroline was somehow meant to last. The two lived happily together until she lost a battle to leukemia in 2000. They had three children, all girls who they both adored very much. They moved from Oklahoma in 1980, shortly after the birth of their second daughter, to Georgia where they lived for the rest of Caroline's life. When Caroline died Darry moved back to Oklahoma. His daughters: Rose, Katherine and Sarah are now 36, 26, and 23 respectively. He has 8 grandchildren between the three of them. He is the supervisor of a major construction company in Tulsa and is being remarried in 2007 to a lovely widow with no children of her own.

Ponyboy Curtis chose to put a career before a fairy tale/tragic romance and he moved to Chicago to pursue his career. He became a very famous journalist and later moved to Boston and is now known as "The most beloved English professor in Harvard University History!" It seems like love always follows the Curtis brothers like a puppy though, and he was married in 1990 to another journalist from Chicago. The two are absolutely love sick to this day, but they don't have any children nor do they want any, since they figure they got started later in life than most people.

Two-Bit Matthews, or Keith as he is referred to now has already been mentioned but it would probably be nice to go over his life in between the ending and the beginning of this chapter. Two-Bit never forgot Aubrey, but he did a good job of pushing her to the back of his mind. He was married in 1972 to a girl from the neighborhood and divorced in 1978. They had one child, Alexandra, (also born in 1972) who moved to Texas with Keith in 1980 because her mother was addicted to heroin. (It seems to be a pattern with Two-Bit's relationships). He was quite a curiosity there, and became somewhat of a ladies man but he settled down again in 1988 to an aspiring actress who left him for fame in 1992, leaving behind their son, Brent who was born in 1989. Keith began a successful career as a comedian and provided for his children splendidly which gets us up to date as far as the beginning of the story.

Aubrey became much happier after moving away from Tulsa, even though she missed her friends and family, especially Two-Bit. She, likewise, never forgot him and kept him in the back of her mind. She was never married although she did have many love interests, and men in her life. She adopted a daughter from Vietnam in 1984, Angel, who she loves more than anything in the world. She became a journalist as well as Ponyboy, but she never acquired fame until late 2004 when she wrote a piece on the Vietnam War, which affected her deeply. She kept her promise to herself and stayed away from Tulsa…until 2004 when she won awards for her novel and went back to visit Johnny, Soda & Dally in the Tulsa Cemetery.

As for the relationship between Aubrey and Two-Bit? It blossomed after their meeting in late 2004 and the two let it happen slowly, and unwind beautifully. Their marriage was in early 2006 and they are planning on traveling the world together and using their talents to help children and teenagers caught in negative backgrounds.

Their love story continues to be added to slowly and beautifully each day. The phrase that sums it up, "It took them long enough!"

**The End**


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